Hilary Knight signing with Detroit’s PWHL expansion team in a trade agreement

Hilary Knight Finds a New Team

Hilary Knight has a new home in the PWHL, transferring to Detroit’s expansion team following a sign-and-trade with Las Vegas, as reported on Monday.

As part of the league’s expansion contract process, Knight signed a basic deal with Las Vegas. She will soon be traded to Detroit in exchange for a first-round draft pick scheduled for next week.

The agreement, initially disclosed by the Associated Press, is set to take effect on June 16 after the PWHL’s trade freeze is lifted just before the draft.

Detroit has not confirmed the trade yet.

“Hilary Knight is one of the greatest players in hockey, and I have a lot of respect for her contributions to the game,” mentioned GM Rome. However, he also noted that, since she currently has a contract with another team, he wouldn’t comment any further.

Last season, Knight tallied five goals and 14 points over 22 games with Seattle. Unfortunately, she was sidelined for the final two months due to a lower-body injury. The previous year, she finished strong with 15 goals and 14 assists, tying for the league lead in points.

Interestingly, this marks Knight’s second consecutive offseason with a new team. After two seasons in Boston, she signed with the Seattle Trent last summer to be closer to her offseason base in Idaho.

Now, she’ll be moving even closer to her roots in Lake Forest, Illinois.

Knight’s year has been quite remarkable. As a two-time gold medalist and three-time silver medalist, she recently captained Team USA at the Winter Olympics. She scored the tying goal in the final against Canada, securing another gold medal, and even got engaged to speed skater Brittany Bowe.

Her goals in that game were significant milestones as they marked the 15th and 33rd points of her Olympic career, both setting U.S. records. That final match went into overtime, with the U.S. clinching the victory 2-1.

Although Knight stated that the Milan Olympics would be her last, she emphasized that her professional hockey journey will carry on in the United States at the age of 36.