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Center Nick Cousins, widely regarded as one of the Philadelphia Flyers' top prospects, was arrested and charged with sexual assault the Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario police said on Sunday.
The 19-year-old Cousins and two of his Sault Ste. Marie Soo Greyhounds teammates, Mark Petaccio and Andrew Fritsch were charged with sexual assault against a female known to them.
Cousins was the third-round draft pick for the Flyers in 2011. He was the fifth-leading scorer in the Ontario Hockey League with 88 points (35 goals, 53 assists) in 65 games.
The Greyhounds posted the following statement on their website.
"Earlier today our organization was made aware of accusations involving three members of our hockey program.
"Over the course of time that each of these players has been part of our program we have seen each of them make excellent strides both on and off the ice. The strides made over each young man's tenure here are what makes today's situation so surprising.
"Our Hockey Club will continue to perform our duty in supporting the three members of our team as they go through the legal process. Our Hockey Club will now allow the legal process to run its due course at this time. We will also continue to support the investigation of the Sault Ste. Marie Police Services in any way possible.
Each player is accused of having sexual intercourse with an unnamed adult female on Friday, which the woman than reported to the police on Saturday.
Petaccio has a bail court hearing scheduled for Monday. Cousins and Fritsch will both appear before court on October 1.
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