6 players punished after investigation into bullying and sexual misconduct in Ontario

Six players from a U14 AA hockey team in Stoney Creek, Ontario, have been placed on two-year probation after a Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) report found they engaged in repeated bullying and sexual misconduct during the 2023-24 season.

According to CTV’s Rick Westhead, the 70-page report details that the misconduct was frequent, coordinated, and at times recorded. It also found that head coach Dave Mercanti failed to protect players, showed “contempt for the process,” and refused to take responsibility for what occurred in the dressing room. Mercanti has been suspended for six months from all Hockey Canada-sanctioned activities.

The report describes the team’s Snapchat group chat as a “cesspool” of racist, homophobic, and sexualized content, including rape jokes, degrading memes, and videos showing players simulating sexual acts on teammates.

The misconduct often occurred behind closed dressing-room doors, both before and after games and practices. Initially, the Hockey Canada Independent Third Party (ITP) handed down game suspensions to players and coaches in November 2024, but the situation escalated when the complainant, referred to as Party X, was violently assaulted by a teammate three weeks later at a local rink. The incident was captured on security footage, leading to a one-year suspension for the assailant.

Following the appeal, Stoney Creek Minor Hockey Association President Steve Johnson confirmed that all individuals involved are no longer affiliated with the association.

This latest case once again highlights the ongoing questions about hockey’s culture and accountability. It comes just months after five former members of Canada’s 2018 World Junior team were found not guilty in a high-profile sexual assault trial. A verdict that reignited public debate over the sport’s history of toxic locker-room behaviour and the lack of transparency in disciplinary processes.

As Hockey Canada continues to “study and evaluate” whether to make sanctions public, many in the sport are calling for stronger safeguards, and a culture that protects players, rather than silences them.