Two Sudbury Wolves players suspended by the OHL

Two Sudbury Wolves hockey players suspended Sudbury Wolves players Evan Konyen & Nathan Villeneuve have been suspended by the OHL for what it calls a breach of social media policy.

The Ontario Hockey League announced Wednesday it has suspended two members of the Sudbury Wolves for the remainder of the season and part of the playoffs for violating the league’s social media policy.

The suspensions follow several reports that the team was being investigated for putting a “bounty” on a member of the Barrie Colts following a hard hit in a January game.

While not referencing the bounty, the league said it began investigating following the game.

“The league became aware of concerning allegations surrounding inappropriate game-related comments shared on a Sudbury Wolves group chat following a game between the Wolves and the Barrie Colts on Jan. 18,” the OHL said in a news release Wednesday.

“The league’s investigation revealed that Wolves players Nathan Villeneuve and Evan Konyen violated the OHL social media policy in a manner detrimental to the welfare of the league, one that would greatly compromise player safety and the overall integrity of the game.”

As a result, Villeneuve has been suspended for 15 games, while Konyen will sit out the next 10 games, OHL commissioner David Branch announced.

The Wolves have nine games left in the regular season. Both suspensions are effective immediately.

In the news release, the OHL said it hoped the length of the suspensions would send a message about following the league’s code of conduct and social media policies.

“The OHL goes to great lengths to educate its players on its various policies and code of conduct, with member teams required to facilitate interactive educational workshops,” the release said.

“The league takes breaches of its social media policy very seriously and believes that these suspensions will reinforce to players and team staff that all activity, be it in person, on the ice or online, must be in keeping with OHL policies.”