Alex Formenton

Alex Formenton (born September 13, 1999) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger for HC Ambrì-Piotta of the National League (NL). In the National Hockey League (NHL), his rights currently belong to the Ottawa Senators, who selected him in the second round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career
Formenton was drafted by the major junior London Knights in the 2015 Ontario Hockey League Priority Draft in the eleventh round, 216th overall. In 2016, Formenton formally joined the Knights and recorded 16 goals and 34 points in 65 games. Based on that season, the Ottawa Senators selected him in the second round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, 47th overall.

Formenton was invited to the Ottawa Senators' main training camp after attending its development camp in the summer of 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 Ottawa Senators. 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 2017–18 OHL season, Formenton was reassigned to the Belleville Senators, the Senators American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate.

Formenton earned a spot on the Senators' 2018–19 roster. On October 30, Formenton scored his first career NHL goal against Arizona Coyotes' goaltender Antti Raanta in a 5–1 loss. After nine games with the club, Formenton was assigned to the Knights.

After making the Senators out of training camp for two straight seasons, but failing to stick with the team for the 2019–20 season, Formenton was assigned to Belleville to help round out his game. Before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Formenton scored 27 goals and 53 points in 61 games with Belleville. He was named to the AHL's All-Rookie Team alongside teammate Josh Norris.

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.

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. HC Ambrì-Piotta later issued a statement saying that their contract with Formenton would be re-evaluated at a later date should an investigation of an alleged 2018 sexual assault by members of the Canadian world junior team, of which Formenton was a member, reveal wrongdoing by the player. Senators General Manager Pierre Dorion did not clarify whether Formenton's contract status with the organization was related to the investigation, 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 Ambri-Piotta to a historic Spengler Cup victory. In defeating HC Sparta Prague by a 3–2 score, Ambri became only the fourth Swiss team to win the cup in its 99-year history.

On January 24, 2024, Ambri-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 the alleged sexual assault in 2018. On February 5, 2024, the London Police Service announced that Formenton had been charged with one count of sexual assault.

International play
Formenton, along with teammate Robert Thomas, was selected to represent Canada at the 2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, where he helped them win a gold medal.

Personal 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".