LAS VEGAS—Colorado Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar has been cleared to represent Canada.
Makar was one of six players named to Canada’s roster on Friday for the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, making him the first member the disgraced 2018 world junior team to be allowed to represent the country internationally.
“He was cleared by an independent review process,” said a source who was not authorized to speak for Hockey Canada. “This is the first time it’s been used. We think this is good for everybody.”
Hockey Canada was comfortable allowing Makar to join Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, Brad Marchand and Brayden Point as the first six players named to the 4 Nations team.
Two Maple Leafs were selected to their national teams: Auston Matthews with the U.S. and William Nylander with Sweden.
All members of Canada’s 2018 world junior team were part of a blanket ban while Hockey Canada and the court system investigated a group sexual assault that followed a team event in London, Ont., in June 2018.
When the allegations surfaced in 2022, Makar and the Avalanche were in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and Makar issued multiple strong statements that he was not present at the time of the alleged allegation.
“I wasn’t part of that or anything,” Makar told The Star on the eve of that 2022 Stanley Cup final. “So whatever they (investigators) need from me, I’ll be very co-operative.”
Charges against Carter Hart of the Philadelphia Flyers, Michael McLeod and Cal Foote of the New Jersey Devils, Dillon Dube of the Calgary Flames and former NHL player Alex Formenton are working their way through the court system. The five have opted for a jury trial. A trial date has not been set.
Hockey Canada explained in an email that, since the 4 Nations Face-Off is an event governed by the NHL, the league’s rules had to be followed, meaning all players eligible had to be considered.
After Makar’s name was put forward, he “participated in an additional third-party review of the allegations regarding Canada’s national junior team in 2018 and was cleared to participate in the tournament and future international events.”
Other players, notably St. Louis Blues forward Robert Thomas, will also be able to use this process to clear their names.
The independent review occurred after May, part of the reason why the gifted Makar was not invited to the May 10-26 world championship when his Avalanche were eliminated from the NHL playoffs.
The remaining players who have been named to their country’s 4 Nations rosters are:
United States: defencemen Adam Fox, Quinn Hughes, Charlie McAvoy, and forwards Jack Eichel and Matthew Tkachuk;
Sweden: Defencemen Gustav Forsling, Victor Hedman Erik Karlsson, and forwards Filip Forsberg and Mike Zibanejad;
Finland: Goalie Juuse Saros, defencemen Miro Heiskanen and Essa Lindell, and forwards Sebastian Aho, Aleksander Barkov and Mikko Rantanen.
Hockey Canada, the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, the Swedish Ice Hockey Association and USA Hockey will submit the balance of their rosters later this year, which will be announced between Nov. 29 and Dec. 2. Each team will be comprised of 23 NHL players (20 skaters, three goalies) who must be under an NHL contract for the 2024-25 season and on an NHL roster as of Dec. 2, 2024.
The Bell Centre in Montreal and TD Garden in Boston will serve as the host venues for the Feb. 12-20 event.
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