Cal Foote has signed an American Hockey League contract with the Chicago Wolves, marking his official return to professional hockey after being acquitted in the high-profile Hockey Canada sexual assault trial. The 26-year-old defenseman becomes the fourth of five players cleared of charges to resume his career, with the team announcing the deal on December 1, 2025.
The signing represents a significant milestone in one of hockey’s most closely watched legal sagas. Foote, who faced charges stemming from a 2018 incident in London, Ontario, saw his NHL career put on hold when he and four teammates were formally charged in early 2024. The New Jersey Devils, his club at the time, declined to extend a qualifying offer following the charges, making him a free agent. Now, after a jury found him not guilty, Foote takes his first steps back onto the ice in a professional capacity.
What led to Cal Foote’s return to the Chicago Wolves and AHL
The path back to professional hockey has been anything but straightforward for Foote and his fellow acquitted players. The NHL established a specific timeline for their potential return, announcing in September 2025 that the players would become eligible to sign new contracts beginning October 15, with the ability to actively play starting December 1. This carefully structured approach gave teams a window to evaluate the situation while providing the players a clear path forward.
Foote’s contract with the Chicago Wolves represents a lower-profile return compared to goaltender Carter Hart, who signed with the Vegas Golden Knights in mid-October. While Hart secured an NHL roster spot, Foote’s AHL deal suggests a more gradual rebuilding process. The Wolves, as the minor-league affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes, provide a competitive environment where Foote can demonstrate his readiness for a potential NHL call-up while adjusting to professional game pace after his extended absence.
The American Hockey League serves as an appropriate stepping stone for players in Foote’s position. The league’s competitive nature allows him to prove his on-ice capabilities without the immediate intensity of NHL media scrutiny. For the Wolves, the signing adds a defenseman with 118 games of NHL experience and pedigree as a former first-round draft pick, selected 14th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2017.
How four of five acquitted players resumed their professional careers
The five players acquitted in the Hockey Canada case have taken divergent paths back to professional hockey, with varying degrees of success and visibility. Their journeys highlight the complex realities facing athletes attempting to rebuild careers after high-profile acquittals.
Carter Hart’s return has garnered the most attention, signing with the Vegas Golden Knights mere hours after the eligibility window opened. The former Philadelphia Flyers goaltender could make his debut as soon as Tuesday, representing the most direct path back to NHL stardom among the group. Michael McLeod, who faced an additional charge of being party to the offense of sexual assault before being acquitted, signed a three-year contract with Avangard Omsk of the KHL in October, continuing his career in Russia after playing last season with Barys Astana in Kazakhstan.
Alex Formenton has maintained the longest continuous professional career, playing for HC Ambri-Piotta in the Swiss Hockey League since 2022 after the Ottawa Senators declined to re-sign him. His path differs from the others, as he left the NHL before the charges were filed. Dillon Dube, meanwhile, spent the 2024-25 season with Dinamo Minsk in the KHL but has not yet secured a contract for the current season, making him the only acquitted player currently without a team.
Foote’s AHL contract places him somewhere in the middle of this spectrum. Unlike Hart’s immediate NHL return or Dube’s current unemployment, Foote’s deal with Chicago offers both opportunity and uncertainty. The defenseman must now prove he can still compete at a high level while navigating the professional and personal challenges of returning from a controversial absence.
Impact of the acquittal on Cal Foote’s hockey journey
The legal process has fundamentally altered the trajectory of Foote’s once-promising career. When the charges were announced in early 2024, Foote was establishing himself as a regular NHL defenseman, having played 61 games for the Devils in the 2023-24 season. His combination of size (6-foot-5, 225 pounds) and offensive instincts made him a valuable depth option for a playoff-contending team.
The Devils’ decision not to extend a qualifying offer, while understandable from a public relations standpoint, left Foote in professional limbo. Unlike Hart, whose elite goaltending skills made him an attractive risk for a Stanley Cup contender like Vegas, Foote faced a murkier market. Defensemen with his profile are valuable but more replaceable than top-tier goaltenders, making teams more cautious about potential backlash.
The acquittal itself, while legally clearing Foote, hasn’t erased the controversy. Teams must weigh his on-ice contributions against potential fan, sponsor, and media reactions. The Chicago Wolves provide a lower-pressure environment where Foote can focus on hockey rather than the spotlight that would accompany an immediate NHL return. This gradual approach may ultimately serve his long-term career interests, allowing him to rebuild his reputation through consistent performance away from the NHL’s brightest lights.
What this means for Cal Foote’s future and the Chicago Wolves
The immediate future for Foote involves establishing himself as a reliable presence on the Wolves blue line. The AHL schedule provides ample opportunity to demonstrate his readiness for NHL consideration, particularly as injuries and roster moves create openings throughout the season. His experience level should make him a top-pairing defenseman in the AHL, potentially accelerating his path back to the highest level.
For the Chicago Wolves, the signing represents a low-risk, high-reward proposition. AHL contracts are not two-way deals, meaning the Hurricanes maintain flexibility with their NHL roster while the Wolves gain a player with significant top-level experience. If Foote performs well, he could either help the Wolves in their Calder Cup pursuit or attract interest from NHL teams seeking defensive depth. The organization has experience integrating players with complicated backgrounds, providing a stable environment for Foote’s return.
The broader implications extend beyond one player’s career. The NHL’s structured approach to the acquitted players’ returns establishes a template for handling similar situations in the future. By creating a clear eligibility timeline and allowing teams to make individual decisions, the league balances accountability with the principle that acquitted individuals deserve opportunities to resume their professions. Foote’s performance and reception in Chicago will likely influence how other teams evaluate the remaining acquitted players.
Cal Foote’s journey back to professional hockey with the Chicago Wolves represents a crucial chapter in his attempt to rebuild a career interrupted by serious allegations and a highly publicized trial. While the acquittal legally cleared his path, the signing initiates a new phase of proving himself on and off the ice, away from the NHL spotlight but under the careful watch of hockey observers assessing whether second chances should extend to the highest levels of the sport.
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Par Mike Jonderson
Mike Jonderson is a passionate hockey analyst and expert in advanced NHL statistics. A former college player and mathematics graduate, he combines his understanding of the game with technical expertise to develop innovative predictive models and contribute to the evolution of modern hockey analytics.