Russia's Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) is likely getting bombarded with questions regarding forward Reid Boucher right now. Boucher, who has been playing in the KHL for the past two seasons, has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl back in 2011 when he was 17 years old. The KHL has released a statement on the incident, but appears to be keeping mostly quiet at this point.
"The KHL has been informed of the situation with Yaroslavl Lokomotiv hockey player Reid Boucher," it said a news release. "The League will not comment on this information before the official court decision. However, the KHL condemns all forms of violence or abuse."
Boucher is due to be sentenced on January 31st. This is somewhat of an interesting statement from the KHL. Boucher has already admitted to the assault. Why the league needs to wait until he's sentenced before making any kind of detailed statement or decision on his participation in the league is a bit of a mystery.
Boucher was originally charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct, which carries a sentence of 25 years to life in prison. However, during a court appearance in Michigan in December, the judge "agreed to let Boucher enter a plea for the lesser charge (of third-degree assault) and agreed to sentence him with no upfront jail time through the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act, or HYTA. Under HYTA, the case won't appear on Boucher's public record if he successfully completes his sentence."
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The victim in the case, who is now 23, is not happy with this decision. She was Boucher's billet sister while he was enrolled in the USA Hockey National Team Development Program.
"I feel like a lot of the progress I've made over the last 10 years – that's been undone," she told the Detroit Free Press.
Boucher has yet to say anything publicly about the case. He was drafted into the NHL and played for the New Jersey Devils. He also had stints with the Nashville Predators and Vancouver Canucks before leaving for the KHL. He has 12 goals and 27 points in 46 games for Lokomotiv this season.
Lou Lamoriello, who drafted Reid Boucher, comments on what he knew and whenSource:
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