Hart ‘excited to move forward’ with Golden Knights after sexual assault acquittal

Carter Hart stood in front of his new locker stall at City National Arena and gave a one-minute, 16-second opening statement on how grateful he is to be back in the NHL.

The goaltender added he’s “excited to move forward” after signing with the Golden Knights on Thursday, three months after being acquitted of sexual assault.

“I’m beyond grateful, excited and honored to be a part of the Golden Knights,” Hart said. “It’s been a long road to get back to this point, to get back to the game of hockey, the game that I love.”

Hart, 27, was one of five players from Canada’s 2018 World Junior team who were charged with sexual assault in February 2024. All five were acquitted in July.

When asked if he expects backlash from fans, Hart said he’s “heard nothing but great things about the city, the community, the fan base and the organization. I’m so excited to get the chance to play in front of them and to get to show the community my true character and who I really am.”

Hart, a native of Sherwood Park, Alberta, was eligible to sign Wednesday, but will not be able to play until Dec. 1. He will start on a professional tryout deal that will turn into an NHL contract.

Hart has not played in an NHL game since January 2024, when he was with the Philadelphia Flyers. He, along with Alex Formenton, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube and Cal Foote, was accused of assaulting a woman in a hotel room during a Hockey Canada gala in 2018.

The justice department did not find the evidence credible to proceed with charges.

‘Looking forward to having him’

Knights players were approached by management prior to Hart being signed. The consensus was the team felt Hart would be a good signing that could help the group.

Hart, a 2016 second-round pick of the Flyers, is 96-93-29 in the NHL with a .906 save percentage and 2.94 goals-against average.

“(Management) put a lot of time and effort into it,” Knights captain Mark Stone said. “We’re looking forward to having him here, looking forward to where our team is going.”

Center Jack Eichel said the Knights plan to help Hart move forward, adding the team is a “big family and I think we support each other and that’s the big thing.”

“Listen, I think we all know how well the guys upstairs work and they know what they’re doing, right?” Eichel said. “I think when you speak to people who know Carter, they have a lot of good things to say about his character and who he is as a person.”

The team did not disclose terms of the deal, but Hart will sign a two-year contract, according to reports.

Hart is expected to play with the Silver Knights during his tryout deal, but no plan has been set.

Rebuilding an image

Hart, when asked how he would show his character in his new home, pointed to his work in the community with young athletes in Philadelphia as a starting point. He said he hadn’t talked to the Golden Knights yet on what that would look like in Las Vegas.

Hart said there were offers from other teams, but he and his agent Judd Moldaver felt the Knights were the best fit.

“We really liked everything that’s here in Las Vegas,” Hart said. “They were very forthcoming and honest about everything, and truthful. The organization, management, they’ve been great to deal with. … We just felt it was a great opportunity here and I can’t wait to start playing.”

The NHL said in a statement Sept. 11 it would allow Hart, Formenton, McLeod, Dube and Foote to return to the league following their acquittals. But it said the players’ conduct, while not found to have been criminal, “did not meet” the standard required of NHL players. The league said it expects them to “uphold the standards required of NHL players both on and off the ice” moving forward.

“The Golden Knights are aligned with the process and assessment the NHL and NHLPA made in their decision,” the Knights said in a statement. “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.”

The Knights, when asked if general manager Kelly McCrimmon was available for comment, referred to their statement.

This is the second time in two years the team is adding a player that comes with character questions. The Knights drafted right wing Trevor Connelly in the first round of the 2024 NHL draft at Sphere.

Connelly, taken No. 19 overall, posted a picture in 2022 of a teammate forming a swastika out of building blocks in a library. He was also accused of directing a racial slur to an opponent in 2021, but the discipline wasn’t upheld by the California Amateur Hockey Association.

Connelly has since spoken with Cantor Olivia Brodsky and Rabbi Josh Stanton from New York to attempt to learn from his actions.

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.