The Edmonton Oilers have made another controversial acquisition. On Wednesday, the team announced it had signed forward Alex Formenton to a one-year contract with an average annual value of $850,000. Formenton is one of five players from Canada’s 2018 World Junior hockey team who were charged with sexual assault that year, resulting in a lengthy high-profile trial. All five were acquitted but remained suspended by Hockey Canada for breaching its code of conduct. Formenton was reinstated in August. The Edmonton Oilers said the six-foot-two, 195-pound Formenton made his NHL debut in 2017-2018 for the Ottawa Senators, who drafted the left-shot winger in the second round of the 2017 draft. Formenton has registered 23 goals and 16 assists for 39 points through his 109 career games. He has spent three seasons over the past four years with HC Ambri-Piotta in Switzerland, recording 33 goals and 19 assists for 52 points over 88 games. The Edmonton Oilers stirred up some controversy earlier this year while courting now-head coach Mike Babcock, who was at the time under investigation by the National Hockey League (NHL) regarding allegations of infringing players’ privacy during his brief tenure as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Babcock was cleared by the NHL and hired by the Oilers in June.
