Calgary Flames’ Dillon Dube To Take Leave of Absence Amid Assault Investigation

Calgary Flames forward Dillon Dube has taken a leave of absence due to mental health reasons, the team said on X last Sunday.

Dube, the 56th pick in the 2016 Draft, has played in 43 games this year with three goals and four assists. According to the team, Dube is under the care of professionals, and the team has gone 1-3 in his absence.

Dube has been one of a number from the 2018 Canadian World Junior Team who have  taken a leave of absence in recent weeks. Dube and his teammates, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote, Carter Hart and Alex Formenton, have all stepped away from their teams for what seems to be due to a sexual assault investigation.

The alleged incident occurred at a gala celebrating the team’s gold medal win, and the NHL has had an open investigation on the incident since 2022, but no information has been released yet.

“We are aware of this morning’s press reports on a very serious matter. We will respond appropriately when the outcomes of the investigations are made public,” Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Briere said. “The NHL has been very clear that teams should refer all investigation-related questions to them. In the meantime, members of the organization, including Flyers players, will not be commenting any further. That’s all we can say at the moment, unfortunately.”

Hockey Canada has seen many scandals in the past few years from their leadership, and with multiple players taking leave from their team, this seems to be another issue that they will need to address. Though the group oversees much of youth hockey in Canada with a large influence over the sport, it has only seen more criticism over the years as Nike and other sponsors ended their partnership with Hockey Canada last year.