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Saginaw Spirit’s Dalton Young charged in stabbing

The Saginaw Spirit didn't dress Dalton Young for their final game last season, which was an eyebrow-raising move at the time since he was a seasoned defenceman who logged a lot of ice time.

Whether that was due to some personal issue is unclear, but now the 20-year-old is facing rather serious criminal charges following a situation in his hometown in Michigan. The Marysville, Mich., native, on the same day that he arraigned after allegedly assaulting his girlfriend, is facing counts of assault and home invasion after forcing his way into the young woman's home and attacking her father, according to police.

Young was arraigned Sunday on charges of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, first-degree home invasion, and resisting and obstructing a police officer, Marysville Police Chief Tim Buelow said in an email.

... Young had been arrested Thursday after he allegedly assaulted his 20-year-old girlfriend. He was arraigned Friday and released with a no contact order.

The same day, he visited his girlfriend’s home in the 2700 block of River Road, Buelow said.

Upon learning that his girlfriend wasn’t home, Young allegedly forced his way into the home and entered the parents’ bedroom, and then proceeded into the kitchen.

The Marysville woman’s parents called Young’s parents. Young’s parents came over and were speaking with the homeowners when Young exited the kitchen and stabbed his girlfriend’s father in the back, Buelow said. (Port Huron Times Herald)

Young, who was a rock on Saginaw's blueline last season with 45 points in 68 games, earned an invitation to the Washington Capitals' summer development camp. That's secondary — it goes without saying — to how the criminal justice system decides to deal with this case. It's not clear how a likely overburdened court system would proceed with a first-time offender.

Young's bail requires him to wear a GPS tether. The Times-Herald doesn't mention how that would affect his ability to enter Canada for road games.

This is a clear case of gendered violence since the stabbing incident occurred at the home of the victim of an alleged assault. It would be ideal, not to prejudge the case, if the Spirit opted to limit competition for their three overage spots to players who haven't put themselves in such a situation. The reality, though, is that teams work to keep a player if he fits into their plans; that's just the way it is.

Saginaw, prior to this, had planned on having four OAs in camp with Young, Buffalo Sabres-drafted centre Eric Locke, summertime pickup Kristoff Kontos and defenceman Steven Strong vying for the three 20-year-old slots. (Teams have until January to finalize the three.) They also added a 19-year-old stay-at-home defenceman, Sean Callaghan, in a trade with the Ottawa 67's. Perhaps that enhances the luxury to be able to cut ties with Young. There could also be a sense of obligation to help Young through a crisis that's largely of his own making.

Major junior hockey clubs have permitted players to stay on while their case was before the courts. Last season, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds had three players charged with sexual assault and sent them to counselling before letting them play. The charges were later dropped.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet. Please address any questions, comments or concerns to btnblog@yahoo.ca.