A former National Hockey League player from West Bloomfield has been ordered to stand trial on two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Ryan Kesler, a two-time Olympian who played 15 seasons in the NHL for the Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks, was charged in late October in connection with an incident in January. A Bloomfield Hills District Court judge on Thursday ruled there was enough evidence for him to stand trial.
Kesler, 41, allegedly sexually assaulted one of his children’s friends, said Oakland County Prosecutor Spokesperson Jeff Wattrick.
Kesler’s attorneys, Rod Morad and Neil Rockind, said in a statement that Kesler is “innocent and has done nothing wrong.”
“Anyone who watched yesterday’s hearing saw the same thing we did: the testimony unraveled under the slightest pressure. Key details shifted, answers repeatedly collapsed into ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I don’t recall,’ and contradictions with earlier statements were never accounted for,” Rockind and Morad said. “Even basic facts couldn’t be stated consistently. Ryan has been unwavering from day one because he’s telling the truth. He’s prepared to see this through and is confident his name will be fully cleared.”
Fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct is punishable by a maximum of two years imprisonment and a fine of $500 for each count.
The Orchard Lake Police Department said the charges stem from an incident reported to authorities on Jan. 2.
Kesler was coaching youth hockey and was suspended after he was charged, the head of the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association said in October. Kesler had coached the 15U bantam midget team, part of the Little Caesars AAA hockey program, which falls under MAHA’s jurisdiction.
Kesler is a two-time Olympian who helped Team USA win a silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics and gold at the 2004 World Junior Championship. He was in the Olympics in 2010 and 2014.
kberg@detroitnews.com
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