Report: USA Hockey confirms that dozens of youth players were exposed to convicted offender Brad Aldrich

TSN's Rick Westhead reports that USA Hockey is in the early stages of contacting families of youth players who attended sessions coached by former Chicago Blackhawks video coach and convicted sexual offender Brad Aldrich at a week long USA Hockey camp in 2008.

USA Hockey has not confirmed or denied that Aldrich is alleged to have committed any crimes while a member of the 14 man coaching staff at the week long, overnight camp. 

“We are in the process of collecting the contact information for all of the family members of players who attended camps where Brad Aldrich coached,” USA Hockey spokesman Dave Fischer said to TSN's Westhead in an interview.

Fischer reports to Westhead that USA Hockey plans to advise families on how they can report any abuse, if it did indeed occur, and to provide these families with counselling if needed. Interestingly enough, Fischer would not respond to Westhead's question of why these families weren't contacted following Aldrich's sexual abuse conviction in 2014. It appears to me as a total outside that now that the story is so widespread in mainstream media, USA Hockey feels it necessary to reach out to anyone who may have been affected. But... maybe that's just the cynic in my speaking?

Earlier today, Westhead also announced that he'll interview the mother of John Doe #2 tonight on TSN. The identity of John Doe #2, as named in the third party Jenner & Block investigation of an alleged sexual assault cover up on behalf of the Chicago Blackhawks, has not been identified but we do know that the individual was a high school hockey player who was sexually assaulted by former Blackhawks video-coach Brad Aldrich in 2013.

From Westhead:

Westhead, of course, has been at the forefront of this story since news of it first broke in 2020.

The public release of the Jenner & Block investigation combined with Westhead's one on one interview with John Doe #1, now identified as former Blackhawks prospect Kyle Beach, absolutely blew the lid off of this story last month. In short, it was the relentless investigative work of Westhead that really brought this story to the public's consciousness. And I don't mean to detract away at all from what Beach himself has done to shine light on this story, what he has done in raising awareness around this alleged scandal is more than anyone could ever do. But from a journalistic perspective, Westhead has been outstanding. The term "social justice warrior" is, of course, dripping with negativity these days, but what Westhead has done in breaking this story open is true social justice.

If you haven't yet watched Beach's interview with Westhead from October, it's a difficult watch but I believe that, as hockey fans, it's required viewing:

As for what we know about John Doe #2, he is currently suing the Blackhawks for enabling and allowing Aldrich to go on to commit further crimes all the while knowing what had happened between Aldrich and Beach in 2010. Aldrich was convicted of sexually assaulting John Doe #2 while he was a member of the Houghton High School boys hockey team in 2013. John Doe #2 maintains that it was the Blackhawks' positive references that enabled him to gain future employment in the industry and commit crimes against underage boys, with himself being the victim.  

It's important to note that while the allegations against Aldrich from Beach are just that, allegations, that Aldrich was arrested and convicted of sexual assault on John Doe #2 in 2014. Aldrich served nine months in prison and five years of probation for assaulting John Doe #2.