Three of five former junior hockey players in attendance for court proceedings

Three of the five players from Canada's 2018 world junior hockey team, charged as part of a 2018 sexual assault investigation, appeared in a London, Ont. court room on Monday.

Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube and Alex Formenton were all present for the start of pre-trial motions for an alleged assault stemming from a Hockey Canada gala held in London in June 2018.

A ban on publication has been placed on any evidence heard during the proceedings.

Justice Bruce Thomas is presiding over the pre-trial motions, expected to last three weeks.

Lawyers for the players have said their clients plan to defend themselves against the allegations, and all five are expected to plead not guilty.

Several weeks have been set aside for legal arguments before then, but the issues discussed in those hearings cannot be reported at this time due to a publication ban meant to protect the accused's right to a fair trial.

Windsor-based judge Maria Carocia will preside over the jury trial scheduled to begin on April 22 of next year. McLeod, Dube, Formenton as well as Carter Hart an Cal Foote, were charged with sexual assault earlier this year.

McLeod also faces an additional charge of sexual assault for "being a party to the offence."