Nanaimo Clippers say they were unaware of allegations against former executive

Analysis

The Nanaimo Clippers junior hockey team says it was unaware that an executive it hired in 2024 was under RCMP investigation for sexual exploitation allegations from his previous team. Tyler King was hired as vice-president of business operations in the summer of 2024 but left the British Columbia Hockey League club months later, before the season started. The team said it terminated his employment when it learned the RCMP was investigating him. Police announced Monday they began investigating King in 2024, around the time he left the Okotoks Oilers in Alberta. Last week, King was arrested at a U.S. border crossing in Ontario and charged with sexual exploitation offences involving three underage junior A hockey players.

"We have not received, and are not aware of, any complaints or concerns regarding his conduct during his brief time with the Clippers," the team said in a statement Tuesday. The team said the allegations do not relate to his time in Nanaimo and that the safety of players and fans is its highest priority. The Clippers said they have contacted the RCMP to offer full cooperation. The BCHL confirmed in a separate statement that the Clippers immediately terminated King's employment upon learning of the accusations. The league said it has fully supported the RCMP's investigation.

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Alberta RCMP Cpl. Gina Slaney said Tuesday that police could not have warned the Nanaimo team about the allegations when King was hired because he was not officially facing charges at that time. "We cannot legally or lawfully do that if we don't have evidence to support charges or if charges haven't been pursued," Slaney said. The RCMP said the Okotoks Oilers reported in June 2024 that a former employee had allegedly solicited and compensated players for intimate images and sexual videos. A statement published on the Oilers' website around the same time announced King was leaving his job. That page, since taken down, thanked King for his tireless efforts over three seasons as assistant general manager of business operations.

Charges span multiple jurisdictions

King, 39, is charged with three counts of luring a person under 18, sexual exploitation of a young person and making child pornography. The three complainants were all under 18 at the time of the allegations and were junior A players from Saskatchewan and Alberta. RCMP said King had worked with various teams across Alberta, Ontario and British Columbia. After working in Okotoks and Nanaimo, King wound up teaching sports journalism at a university in New York state. The RCMP said King had been working with the State University of New York campus at Oswego. He is to return later this week to Alberta to face the charges.

The university said King joined the school in 2025 as a professor of practice with its communications studies department. Late Monday, the university's student-run television station announced that King had been removed from his position as an adviser. "WTOP-10 TV has been made aware of serious charges made in regards to Tyler King," it said in a social media post. "We were unaware of the allegations while he was with our club. We fully do not condone or support the actions described in these charges." A spokesperson for the American Hockey League's Belleville Senators said King was a part-time worker on game nights and will not be working with the team while the investigation is ongoing.

Previous charges and ongoing investigation

Court records show King was also charged with choking in November 2025 at or near Calgary. He was further charged in February with failing to appear in court and failing to comply with a release order. The RCMP said the investigation remains active and the number of potential victims remains unclear. Police are asking anyone with information to contact them. The BCHL did not immediately respond when asked whether it knew about the allegations when King left the Okotoks team and was hired in Nanaimo. Nosy Mag reported last week that the RCMP allege Tyler King victimized three underage players while working with teams in Alberta and British Columbia.

The Nanaimo Clippers emphasized that King had no contact with any of its players given the timing of his employment. The team said its decision to part ways with King was not a determination of the merits of the allegations against him. King's arrest on Friday followed a cross-border investigation. He is scheduled to return to Alberta later this week to face the charges.

With files from The Canadian Press, CityNews and Global News