Golden Knights sign Carter Hart after acquittal in Hockey Canada sexual assault case

Carter Hart is joining the Golden Knights and returning to the NHL months after a judge found the ex-Flyers goaltender and four other Canadian hockey players not guilty of sexual assault. 

Hart signed with Vegas on a paid tryout that will be converted into an NHL contract, ESPN reported Thursday. 

The 27-year-old skated with the Golden Knights ahead of their game with the Bruins on Thursday night in Vegas and called it a “long road to get back to this point, to get back to the game of hockey, the game that I love.”

Hart is the first of the five players, members of Team Canada’s World Junior team, to return to the NHL following the case stemming from an alleged 2018 assault that took place after a Hockey Canada gala. 

The woman in the case alleged that after agreeing to have consensual sex with Michael McLeod in a hotel room, she was assaulted. 

Hart, McLeod, Dillon Dubé, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton were criminally charged in 2024, and Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia ruled in July that prosecutors had not met the “onus” on any of the counts brought against the five players and they did not find the evidence “credible or reliable.” 

“I’ve been out of the game for a year and a half now. I’ve learned a lot, I’ve grown a lot, and I’m just excited to move forward,” Hart told reporters Thursday after skating with the Golden Knights for the first time. 

“I’ve heard nothing but great things about the city, the community and the fanbase. I got to meet a lot of people here today. I’m so excited to get the chance to play in front of them and for them, and just get to show the community my true character and who I really am and what I’m really about.”

🎥 Carter Hart speaks to the media in Vegas.

Hart won’t be eligible to begin playing NHL games until Dec. 1, and ESPN reported that the netminder will begin getting game action on Nov. 15 with the Henderson Silver Knights, the Golden Knight’s AHL affiliate. 

The Golden Knights have already had to deal with some goaltender issues this young season. 

Adin Hill suffered a lower-body injury on Tuesday against the Flames. Akira Schmid will start for the Knights on Thursday, with Hill backing him up. 

Several Golden Knights players spoke about the signing, with captain Mark Stone saying he was “excited” over Hart’s arrival. 

Jack Eichel told reporters that “we’re looking forward to having him.” 

“The culture of this team is outstanding,” Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We expect Carter, like anyone else in that room, to uphold that standard.”