Alex Formenton

Alex Formenton (born September 13, 1999) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger for HC Ambrì-Piotta of the Swiss National League (NL). Formenton has also played for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He won a gold medal with Canada's junior team at the 2018 World Junior Championships. He was selected by the Senators in the second round of the 2017 NHL entry draft. He also won the 2022 Spengler Cup with HC Ambrì-Piotta.

Early life 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. 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". Formenton made his major junior hockey debut with the Knights in the 2016–17 season and recorded 16 goals and 18 assists for 34 points in 65 games. Formenton was selected to play in the 2017 CHL Top Prospects Game. The Knights qualified for the 2017 OHL playoffs and advanced to the conference semifinals, losing to the Erie Otters. Formenton went scoreless in 14 playoff games. Formenton tallied five goals and seven points in the four game series. He recorded 13 goals and 34 points in 31 games. Formenton added four goals and 18 points in 11 playoff games. Formenton was invited to the Senators' main training camp after attending its development camp in mid 2017. 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. Formenton made his NHL debut on October 7, 2017, becoming the youngest player to play a game for the contemporary Senators franchise. 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. After the OHL season ended in 2018, Formenton was reassigned to the Ottawa's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Belleville Senators. Formenton made two appearances with Belleville. He was named to the AHL's All-Rookie Team alongside teammate Josh Norris. In the pandemic-shortened 2020–21 season, Formenton split time between Ottawa and Belleville, recording four goals and six points in 20 games in the NHL and four goals in 13 games in the AHL.

Formenton played with Ottawa for the 2021–22 season, establishing himself as a solid penalty killer. In November, Formenton contracted COVID-19 and was placed in the NHL's COVID-19 protocol. He finished the season with 18 goals and 32 points in 79 games.

HC Ambrì-Piotta 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. though some in the media stated that the investigation into Formenton's involvement was the reason for the contract stalemate. 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. 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.

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. In the 2022–23 season, Formenton recorded ten goals and 13 points in 22 games. In 24 games, he added ten goals and 16 points. For his play, Formenton was named to the tournament's all-star team. In March 2025, it was revealed that Formenton had begun working in construction in his home town.

After pausing his career due to legal issues in Canada, Formenton re-signed with HC Ambrì-Piotta in September 2025 to a contract lasting until December 2025. On September 11, 2025, the NHL announced Formenton would be eligible to sign a contract on October 15, and would be eligible to return to play on December 1.

International play

Formenton, along with London Knights teammate Robert Thomas, was selected to represent Canada at the 2018 World Junior Championships, where he helped Canada win a gold medal. He would later be charged with sexual assault along with four other Hockey Canada players, Carter Hart, Dillon Dubé, Michael McLeod, and Cal Foote arising from an incident that occurred at a team event in June 2018.

Legal matters 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. On January 28, Formenton surrendered himself to London police as he was charged in connection with an alleged sexual assault in 2018. Lawyers from the law firm Daniel Brown Law LLP represented Formenton throughout his criminal case. On February 5, the London Police Service announced that Formenton had been charged with one count of sexual assault. According to August 2024 court documents released the following month, Formenton had "moved on from a hockey career" and was working in construction. From April 22 to June 13, 2025, Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia oversaw an eight-week trial. He pleaded not guilty. On July 24, Formenton was found not guilty of sexual assault after he was acquitted following the judge declaring that the evidence of the complainant, E.M. was not credible or reliable, and that "the Crown cannot meet its onus on any of the counts". Michael McLeod, Dillon Dubé, Carter Hart, and Cal Foote were also acquitted of sexual assault in the same case. In March 2025, Formenton's legal representation requested that an arbitrator's decision to dismiss claims of negligence, breach of contract, and breach of fiduciary duty by his former agency be set aside. In 2022, at the end of his entry-level contract, he was offered a qualifying offer by the Senators, which he rejected. Formenton claims that he was not made aware by the agency that by rejecting the offer, he was not guaranteed the ability to negotiate a new contract the following season and that if he had accepted the initial qualifying offer, any potential career disruption, like the aforementioned trial, would allow for the extension of that contract. The agency refutes the claims. Formenton is seeking $20 million. The case is scheduled to be heard in January 2026 before Ontario's Superior Court of Justice.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2014-15 Mississauga Rebels U18 AAA GTHL U18 65 27 28 55 92 - - - - - 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 — — — — — 2025–26 HC Ambrì-Piotta NL 43 13 10 23 48 4 3 2 5 10 NHL totals 109 23 16 39 71 — — — — —

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2018 Canada WJC 7 2 2 4 8 Junior totals 7 2 2 4 8

Awards and honours Awards Year CHL Top Prospects Game 2017 AHL All-Star Game 2020 AHL All-Rookie Team 2020 Spengler Cup winner 2022