Noah Corson, son of former NHLer, facing sexual assault charge in Quebec
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Content Warning: The following article contains references to sexual assault
Noah Corson, a forward with the ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder and the son of former NHL player Shayne Corson, is charged with sexually assaulting a woman who was under the age of 16 when he played major junior hockey in Quebec, newly obtained court documents show.
The documents, obtained on Tuesday by TSN, indicate that an alleged sexual assault took place between Oct. 1, 2016, and Jan. 1, 2017, in Drummondville, Que. Radio Canada journalist Martin Leclerc was the first to report earlier in the day on details of the alleged assaults, which allegedly involved two other men, one of whom was Corson’s teammate on the Drummondville Voltigeurs.
The other two defendants in the case pleaded guilty, Radio Canada reported. It’s unclear when they entered pleas and what punishments the court decided on. A Drummondville court clerk said she could not offer any details about the other defendants because they were minors at the time of the alleged assault and protected by the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Corson’s agent, Nick Riopel, declined to discuss the Apr. 3, 2020, criminal charge against his client.
“Considering the fact that there’s ongoing legal procedures on that matter, we will not be issuing any comments,” Riopel wrote in an email to TSN.
The allegations against Corson have not been proven and he has not entered a plea. Corson, who was 18 at the time of the alleged assault and is now 24, was not drafted into the NHL.
He signed a two-way contract on Aug. 1 with the Utica Comets, the New Jersey Devils’ American Hockey League affiliate. He was later assigned to Adirondack of the ECHL. Jeff Mead, Adirondack’s general manager, said the team has discussed Corson’s situation with the Devils and would release a statement “in the near future.”
QMJHL spokesman Maxime Blouin said the league office was not aware of the alleged assault before being contacted by Leclerc.
“We also did our internal inquiry with the actual and past leadership of the Drummondville Voltigeurs (coaches, GMs and board), and they assured us that they had no clue about the situation,” Blouin wrote, adding that Dominique Ducharme, the Voltigeurs coach during the 2016-17 season, did not previously know about allegations.
A court clerk said that Corson has not issued a plea and is due back in court on June 14, 2023.
Radio Canada reported that the alleged victim did not know Corson nor the other Voltigeurs player before meeting them on the evening of the alleged assault. She had been dating a third young man for a few weeks, Radio Canada reported.
After spending part of the evening in a restaurant, the woman and three men moved to the alleged victim's home where she was allegedly sexually assaulted while one of the defendants recorded a video using his cellphone, Radio Canada reported, adding that the woman later recognized the hockey players when she attended a Voltigeurs game and saw photos of the players on the arena wall.
The Voltigeurs are among three QMJHL teams with former players currently being investigated for alleged sexual assault.
In October 2021, two Victoriaville Tigres players were charged with sexual assault stemming from an alleged incident that occurred after the team won the QMJHL title earlier the same year.
Nicolas Daigle and Massimo Siciliano have been charged with sexual assault and filming the alleged incident. Daigle is also facing two charges for sharing images of the alleged victim. They are scheduled to return to court Feb. 16 to set a trial date.
In August, Quebec City police said they would re-open a closed investigation into an alleged 2014 sexual assault involving four Gatineau Olympiques players.
"We are aware that the police are looking to review their investigation into the matter, and we will offer our complete cooperation throughout the process,” QMJHL chief marketing officer Karl Jahnke told TSN at the time.
The Utica Comments wrote in a statement Tuesday night that the team was aware of the sexual assault allegations against Corson.
"Corson’s agent has informed the organization that Noah will be taking an indefinite leave of absence, effective immediately," the Comets said. "The organization has no further comment at this time."