A teenaged boy pleaded guilty to sexual assault with a weapon in a Nova Scotia youth court Tuesday after a violent hockey hazing incident last fall.
A second boy, who is facing four charges related to the assault and who has pleaded not guilty, is scheduled to go to trial next February.
In the Truro courtroom, the first teen, now aged 15, stood with his hands on the front of his slacks, rocking slightly as Judge Brian Warcop read out the charge. The boy’s father sat next to him in the front row, his head down, his elbows on his knees. Dozens of supporters of the three victims listened intently on the opposite side of the courtroom as the details of the violent sexual assault at a team sleepover party were read aloud from the agreed statement of facts.
The identities of the victims and accused cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
News of the assault struck a chord nationwide as hockey, and the sports bodies that regulate them, has faced a reckoning in recent years for a culture of silence and toxic masculinity. Hockey Canada, which governs amateur hockey in the country, opened an investigation into the Nova Scotia incident, but the sports body said it is confidential.
In a Nova Scotia town, parents and students rally behind those accusing hockey teammates of sexual assault
The court heard that on the evening of Oct. 3, 2025, the under-15 boys hockey team gathered at a teammate’s house for a team party and sleepover at or around Colchester County. The gathering had been organized so the more senior players could get to know the rookies.
The players’ parents gathered downstairs, while the boys socialized upstairs in two rooms. In one room, a 13-year-old rookie player was laying down on his stomach on a bed, scrolling on his phone, when two older players, who were 14 at the time, pinned him down, pulled down his pants and underwear and exposed his buttocks. The boy who has pleaded not guilty allegedly pushed a mini hockey stick between the younger boy’s buttocks. The rookie shouted for them to stop and started crying, later telling authorities that the assault lasted 15 to 20 seconds, but it “felt like forever.”
The court heard that he always planned to tell his parents but didn’t know how to raise the subject and he didn’t want to get anyone in trouble.
After the assault, the two older boys went after two other rookies and removed their pants, but were unsuccessful in taking off their underwear. The younger boys kicked themselves free of their attackers.
The victim’s father eventually heard about the incident, went to the RCMP on Jan. 30 and filed a complaint, according to the statement of facts.
In court, it was agreed that a psychological and psychiatric study on the boy who pleaded guilty would be presented to the court prior to sentencing, which is expected to take place in the new year. The defence and the Crown attorney told the court they would be recommending a joint sentencing submission for the boy’s case.
The sentence for sexual assault with a weapon for a youth can range from an absolute discharge to a period of secure custody and community supervision, senior Crown attorney Patrick Young said after the hearing.
Mr. Young told reporters he couldn’t disclose the discussions that took place ahead of the guilty plea, but he said that the agreement, sentence and statement of facts can all be negotiated by counsel. “Because they’re privileged it would be inappropriate for me to comment on that.”
The teen is also facing two other charges of sexual assault. Those charges will carry over to sentencing and be disposed of at that time, Mr. Young said.
His guilty plea also impacts the case against the second teen because he now potentially becomes a compellable witness for the Crown, Mr. Young said. The trial of the second teen is scheduled to begin Feb. 22. That boy, who is also now 15, has pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual assault with a weapon, two counts of sexual assault and one count of assault.
Hockey Canada to extend suspensions of four 2018 world junior players, lifts one
Hockey Canada has been embroiled in controversy over its handling of sexual assault allegations made against five members of the 2018 national junior team (they were found not guilty in a criminal court last year), and for quietly using registration fees from players across the country to settle such cases.
In response to that scandal, Hockey Canada launched an independent third party (ITP) process in 2022 for confidentially handling hockey-related maltreatment complaints and to ensure possible Criminal Code offences are reported to law enforcement and child protection services.
Hockey Nova Scotia, a branch of Hockey Canada and the organization that governs the sport in the province, initially suspended and later disbanded the team involved in last year’s hazing incident. The Globe and Mail is not naming the team to protect the identities of the victims and accused.
The incidents of sexual violence involving the team were reported to Hockey Canada’s ITP and an investigation was launched earlier this year, Hockey Canada chief of staff Jeremy Knight said, adding he couldn’t comment on the status or outcome of the process, which is confidential.
The ITP has the power to make their decision public. They did not immediately respond to The Globe’s query about what they plan to do.