Former QMJHL players charged with sexual assault of a minor

Several members of the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) have been charged in connection with a gang sexual assault of a minor in 2016.

Two of the three defendants are former members of the Voltigeurs. Two of those three pleaded guilty to assaulting a 15-year-old girl, while the third, Noah Corson, son of former NHL player Shayne Corson, has not yet entered a plea and is scheduled to go on trial in June. Corson currently plays professional hockey for Adirondack Thunder in the ECHL.

According to an agreed statement of facts submitted to the courts, the victim did not know two of the men before the night of the attack. The group began their evening at a restaurant before returning to the victim’s home, where sexual acts occurred that escalated into non-consensual group attacks. The attack was captured on video by one of the perpetrators on a mobile phone and, according to the agreed facts, the perpetrators knew that the victim was crying.

According to a Radio-Canada article, the victim did not know that two of the perpetrators were hockey players until she attended a Drummondville Voltigeurs game and saw their photos on the wall.

“I identified them that way, otherwise I would never have known they were hockey players (…) I immediately started crying. I guess when I realized they were right there, that I had just cheered them on to win… it all suddenly seemed to fall into place,” she said.

Both the QMJHL and the Voltigeurs said they were unaware of the allegations or the sexual assault itself. The QMJHL released its own statement on the matter on Tuesday.

“Both the league and the Drummondville Voltigeurs organization were only recently made aware of this incident, which would have occurred in 2016,” the statement said. “The QMJHL and its teams will offer their full cooperation in and throughout any police investigation.” “Our first thoughts are with the alleged victim and we remain very aware of her situation.” This explains why the league continues its important mission to raise awareness and educate their players about sexual misconduct and its consequences.

The victim said she struggled with suicidal thoughts following the events and sought counseling but is still dealing with the trauma as a result of the attack.

“After these events I developed a kind of social phobia. I walked into a bar for the first time this fall and it was difficult. Today, even if I go to a public place like a restaurant, I need to be able to see everyone in the room,” she told Radio-Canada. “I shouldn’t have the impression that something can happen to me from behind. It was the same at school. (After the attack I had to sit at the back of the class the whole time.”

The allegations come after Hockey Canada and the CHL addressed numerous allegations of sexual gang violence by youth hockey players in Canada, including allegations related to the 2003 and 2013 Canadian World Junior Championships.

This also includes allegations of gang-related sexual violence against teams within the QMJHL. In 2015, members of the Gatineau Olympiques were charged with gang rape, followed in 2021 by charges against two Victoriaville Tigers for assaulting a 17-year-old girl.

The news broke the same day the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage resumed its hearings into Hockey Canada’s handling of sexual assault allegations. At that hearing, Liberal MP Chris Bittle said the CHL, which includes the QMJHL and the Drummondville Voltigeurs, had “remained almost entirely unscathed” in the process, despite its undeniable connection to the abuses and hockey culture in Canada.

Canada’s sports minister, whom the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage wants to question again about what is being done in Canada to combat sexual violence in sports, also commented on the attack on Tuesday.

“Once again, the stories coming out of junior hockey this morning are horrific,” said Pascale St-Onge, Canada’s sports minister. “A toxic culture problem is deeply rooted in hockey in this country and that must change. “At all levels, leaders, coaches and parents must do more to prevent sexual abuse.”

More from Yahoo Sports