| Position: | Left wing |
| Shoots: | Left |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 2 |
| Weight Lb: | 165 |
| Birth Date: | 13 September 1999 |
| Birth Place: | King, Ontario, Canada |
| Played For: | Ottawa Senators HC Ambrì-Piotta |
| Draft: | 47th overall |
| Draft Team: | Ottawa Senators |
| Draft Year: | 2017 |
| Career Start: | 2017 |
| Career End: | 2024 |
Alex Formenton (born September 13, 1999) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who played for the Ottawa Senators and HC Ambrì-Piotta. He was selected by the Senators in the second round of the 2017 NHL entry draft.
Following criminal charges related to the 2018 Hockey Canada controversy and sexual assault, Formenton retired from professional hockey.
Formenton was drafted by the London Knights 216th overall, in the eleventh round, of the 2015 Ontario Hockey League priority draft.[1] [2] In 2016, Formenton formally joined the Knights and recorded 16 goals and 34 points in 65 games. Following that season, the Ottawa Senators selected him in the second round of the 2017 NHL entry draft, 47th overall.[3]
Formenton was invited to the Ottawa Senators' main training camp after attending its development camp in the summer of 2017.[4] At the end of training camp, Ottawa retained him on its NHL roster to open the 2017–18 season and signed him to a three-year entry-level contract.[5] Formenton made his NHL debut on October 7, 2017, becoming the youngest player to play a game for the contemporary Senators franchise.[6] He was a healthy scratch after that game, and on October 15, he was returned by the Senators to continue his development with the London Knights.[7] After the 2017–18 OHL season, Formenton was reassigned to the Belleville Senators, the Senators' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate.[8]
Formenton earned a spot on the Senators' roster for the 2018–19. On October 30, Formenton scored his first career NHL goal against Arizona Coyotes goaltender Antti Raanta, the lone Senators goal in a 5–1 loss.[9] After nine games with the club, Formenton was reassigned to the Knights.[10]
After making the Senators out of training camp for two straight seasons, but failing to stick with the team for the 2019–20 season, Formenton was assigned to Belleville to help round out his game. Before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Formenton scored 27 goals and 53 points in 61 games with Belleville.[3] He was named to the AHL's All-Rookie Team alongside teammate Josh Norris.[11]
Formenton played with Ottawa for the 2021–22 season, establishing himself as a solid penalty killer.[12] In November, Formenton contracted COVID-19 and was placed in the NHL's COVID-19 protocol.[13] He finished the season with 18 goals and 32 points in 79 games.[14]
After his contract expired following the 2021–22 season, the Senators and Formenton could not agree to terms on a new contract. Remaining unsigned and later becoming ineligible to appear in the 2022–23 NHL season, Formenton belatedly signed with Swiss club HC Ambrì-Piotta of the National League (NL) on December 14, 2022.[14] HC Ambrì-Piotta later issued a statement saying that their contract with Formenton would be re-evaluated at a later date should an investigation of an alleged 2018 sexual assault by members of the Canadian world junior team, of which Formenton was a member, reveal wrongdoing by the player. Senators General Manager Pierre Dorion did not clarify whether Formenton's contract status with the organization was related to the investigation,[15] though some in the media stated that the investigation into Formenton's involvement was the reason for the contract stalemate.[16] Canadian newspaper The London Free Press noted that it is "ultra-rare" for an NHL team to allow a top prospect like Formenton to be unsigned for an entire season.[17] Heading into the 2023 NHL entry draft it was anticipated that the Senators would trade Formenton's rights to free up a spot on the club’s reserve list, but Dorion was unable to find a trading partner.[18]
In the 2022 Spengler Cup tournament, Formenton scored a tournament-high six points in four games, helping propel HC Ambrì-Piotta to a historic Spengler Cup victory. In defeating HC Sparta Prague by a 3–2 score, Ambrì became only the fourth Swiss team to win the cup in its 99-year history.[19]
On January 24, 2024, Ambrì-Piotta announced that it had granted Formenton a leave of absence for personal reasons and that he would return to Canada.[20] [21] On January 28, Formenton surrendered himself to London police as he was charged in connection with an alleged sexual assault in 2018.[22] On February 5, the London Police Service announced that Formenton had been charged with one count of sexual assault.[23] According to August 2024 court documents released the following month, Formenton had "moved on from a hockey career" and was working in construction.[24]
Formenton, along with London Knights teammate Robert Thomas, was selected to represent Canada at the 2018 World Junior Championships,[25] where he helped Team Canada win a gold medal.[26] He would later be charged with sexual assault for an incident that occurred at the tournament.[22]
Formenton was born in Barrie, Ontario, on September 13, 1999. Formenton's early years were spent in the York area, and for the 2015–16 season he played for the Aurora Tigers of the Ontario Junior Hockey League.[27] In his childhood, Formenton's mother cared for two adult brothers with autism and Down syndrome. Formenton spent time with them while his mother cared for them. While playing for the London Knights, he billeted with a family that included a girl with Down syndrome. He has attributed these experiences to his desire to "seek out some sort of cause or charity that helps people who have Down syndrome or autism".[19]
| Team | League | GP | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | Aurora Tigers | OJHL | 54 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 66 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | London Knights | OHL | 65 | 16 | 18 | 34 | 50 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2017–18 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | London Knights | OHL | 48 | 29 | 19 | 48 | 55 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 6 | ||
| 2017–18 | Belleville Senators | AHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | London Knights | OHL | 31 | 13 | 21 | 34 | 50 | 11 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 14 | ||
| 2019–20 | Belleville Senators | AHL | 61 | 27 | 26 | 53 | 65 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Belleville Senators | AHL | 13 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 20 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 79 | 18 | 14 | 32 | 59 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | HC Ambrì-Piotta | NL | 22 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 74 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | HC Ambrì-Piotta | NL | 24 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 109 | 23 | 16 | 39 | 71 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Awards | Year | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| CHL Top Prospects Game | 2017 | ||
| AHL All-Star Game | 2020 | [28] | |
| Spengler Cup winner | 2022 |