Hilary Knight, one of the most prominent figures in women’s hockey, is headed to the PWHL’s Detroit expansion team as part of a sign-and-trade agreement, according to a source familiar with the deal told to The Associated Press on Monday.
The source indicated that Knight will first sign a foundational contract with Las Vegas during Phase 2 of the league’s expansion process. Las Vegas has subsequently reached an agreement to trade Knight to Detroit in exchange for the team’s first-round pick in next week’s draft.
Because the source was not authorized to disclose the transaction, they spoke on the condition of anonymity. The trade will officially take effect once the PWHL’s trade freeze expires on June 16, the day before the draft.
The 36-year-old Knight is a five-time Olympian and one of the most accomplished players in the history of the sport. She recently captained Team USA to a gold-medal victory at the Milan Cortina Games in February, where she scored the critical championship game-tying goal in the third period of a 2-1 overtime win over Canada.
While Knight noted that the Milan Olympics would be her final appearance on the world stage, she intended to continue her professional career.
This move marks Knight’s second PWHL offseason transition. After spending her first two seasons with Boston, she moved to the Seattle Torrent to be closer to her home in Idaho. However, under expansion rules, the Torrent were limited to protecting only three players; they chose forward Alex Carpenter, defender Anna Wilgren, and goalie Hannah Murphy, making Knight available.
The move provides Knight with the benefit of a foundational offer, guaranteeing a minimum salary of $100,000 per season, comparable to her $106,090 earnings last year. While Detroit utilized its foundational slot to sign Toronto forward Daryl Watts, Las Vegas still had its slot open to facilitate this move.
Las Vegas acquires a valuable first-round pick in a draft class featuring five U.S. national team members, including Laila Edwards and Caroline Harvey. While the PWHL has not yet finalized the draft order, Vancouver is confirmed to pick first.
Knight counts as one of the five players Las Vegas must add during this expansion phase, which concludes Monday. Las Vegas filled its remaining two spots by signing former Montreal Victoire teammates Hayley Scamurra and Erin Ambrose.
In Detroit, Knight will reunite with head coach Josh Sciba, a former U.S. Olympic assistant, and join fellow U.S. gold medalists Britta Curl-Salemme, Hannah Bilka, and Cayla Barnes. The team is led by General Manager Manon Rheaume, a pioneer in the sport and the first woman to appear in an exhibition game in any of North America’s four major professional sports.
Detroit further bolstered its roster earlier in the day by signing Toronto forward Jesse Compher, a 2022 Beijing silver medalist, to a three-year contract.
Knight’s production has remained elite despite injuries; she recorded five goals and 14 points in 22 games last season before a lower-body injury sidelined her for the final two months. The previous year, she tied for the league lead with 29 points. She currently ranks 12th in PWHL history with 54 career points across 76 games.
The trade follows a milestone period for Knight. Just before her gold-medal win, she became engaged to American speedskater Brittany Bowe. Her performance against Canada also established new U.S. Olympic records for both career goals (15) and points (33).
Named the IIHF’s female player of the year in 2024, Knight’s resume includes two Olympic gold and three silver medals. Since her 2007 world championship debut, she has won 10 gold medals at the world championships and holds the all-time tournament records for goals (67), assists (53), and points (120).
