Former Quebec junior hockey players to be sentenced in July for sex assault of teen

QUEBEC — A Quebec judge will deliver sentences in July for two former Quebec major junior hockey players who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a minor in June 2021 at a hotel as their team celebrated a championship win.

Nicolas Daigle and Massimo Siciliano, both 21, pleaded guilty last October to sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl in the early hours of June 6, 2021, while Daigle also pleaded guilty to two charges of filming and exhibiting a video of the act.

At the time of the assault they were members of the Victoriaville Tigres, in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, and the club had won the President’s Cup Trophy on June 5, 2021. 

The victim, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, was an employee at a Quebec City-area hotel where the team was staying during the 2021 playoffs.

She agreed to go to the hotel room only with Daigle, but when she arrived she discovered Siciliano also there and felt trapped before she was assaulted by both of them for about 40 minutes.

The defence is seeking community sentences and probation; the Crown wants 36 months for Siciliano and between 39 and 42 months for Daigle.

Prosecutor Michel Bérubé told the court that community sentences are neither fair nor proportional given the facts in the case.

During a sentencing hearing earlier this week in Quebec City, the court heard in a letter from the victim that the assault took a heavy toll on her life. Both men also testified, expressing remorse for their actions.

Quebec court Judge Thomas Jacques will deliberate before handing down a sentence on July 8. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press