Goaltender Carter Hart is joining the Vegas Golden Knights organization, making his return to the NHL after he was among the five Canadian hockey players found not guilty of sexual assault charges this summer.
The Golden Knights announced Hart’s addition Thursday, noting in a statement that the goalie had been reinstated by the NHL and NHL Players’ Association.
“The Golden Knights are aligned with the process and assessment the NHL and NHLPA made in their decision,” the team said. “We remain committed to the core values that have defined our organization from its inception and expect that our players will continue to meet these standards moving forward.”
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Sources said Hart, 27, is on a paid tryout that is expected to be converted to an NHL contract. If Vegas signs Hart, he will be eligible to begin playing in the NHL on Dec. 1.
Hart was one of five players on Canada’s 2018 under-20 world junior team who was found not guilty of sexual assault charges in July. The trial in London, Ontario, stemmed from an alleged assault that took place after the 2018 Hockey Canada Foundation Gala. The players were criminally charged in 2024.
The players were on trial for assaulting a woman, known as EM, in a hotel room after she agreed to have consensual sex with McLeod. In her ruling after an eight-week trial, Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia said prosecutors did not meet the onus on any of the counts, and that she did not find EM’s evidence “credible or reliable.”
At the time, Hart was the starting goaltender for the Philadelphia Flyers. He took an indefinite leave of absence shortly before the charges were announced, and the Flyers said last month that Hart would not be rejoining the team. Unlike other players involved in the case, Hart chose not to play professionally overseas and instead trained in Nashville.
Sources said Hart will report to Vegas, where he can begin training with the team, according to conditions set by the NHL and NHLPA. He is expected to then go to Henderson, Nevada, and get some game action beginning Nov. 15 with the Golden Knights’ minor league affiliate.
Several teams, including the Carolina Hurricanes, had explored the possibility of signing Hart, sources said.
In March, Vegas signed starting goaltender Adin Hill to a six-year extension. The team also has 25-year-old Akira Schmid under contract for this season.
Hart was a second-round pick by Philadelphia in the 2016 draft. He has played in 227 career NHL games, recording a 2.94 goals-against average and .906 save percentage.
The other four players in the Team Canada case — Dillon Dubé, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton and Michael McLeod — are not expected to join NHL teams in the immediate future, sources said. The Ottawa Senators hold Formenton’s rights but are not expected to sign him, although other teams have explored trading for his rights. McLeod signed a three-year deal earlier this month to play in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League.
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