Editor’s Note: The following story deals with sexual assault, and may be distressing for some readers.
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Calgary Flames prospect Topi Ronni has received a court summons in connection with a rape allegation and is taking a leave of absence from Tappara Tampere, the Finnish team said Thursday.
Tampere made an announcement of the news on its website on Thursday.
Ronni, 19, was the Flames’ second-round (59th overall) pick at the 2022 NHL Draft. A centre, he has one goal and one assist in 12 games for the Tappara this season. He represented Finland at the 2023 World Juniors in Halifax, where he failed to record a point in five games. Last season with Tampere, he had two goals and three assists for five points in 22 games.
The allegation has not been heard in court in Helsinki, and documents pertaining to the case have been ordered to be not disclosed. Ronni was a minor when the alleged incident occurred.
“We became aware of a potential legal issue involving Topi Ronni following our selection of him in the 2022 NHL Draft,” the Flames said in a social-media post Thursday afternoon. “We take this matter seriously and will let the legal process follow its due course. We have no further comment at this time.”
“We take the suspected crime seriously, but we are waiting for the court hearing and will evaluate the player’s position after that. This is also about labor law,” said Tampere CEO Mika Aro in the team’s statement, translated from Finnish.
“Today, I have received a summons related to the case,” Ronni said in the team statement, translated from Finnish. “(The) last two years have been hard to wait for the case to progress. I’m confident that everything that happened will be clarified in the trial. I’ll be away from (the) team’s activities for the time being and I am focusing on handling the matter.”