DETROIT, MI (June 25, 2026) – PWHL Detroit today announced that forward Hilary Knight has extended her Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Standard Player Agreement by two years and is now signed through the 2028-29 season. Knight was under contract for the 2026-27 season when PWHL Detroit acquired her by trade from PWHL Las Vegas on June 16.
“I can’t wait to get to Detroit and start helping build the team’s foundation over the next three years,” said Knight. “Seeing the passion and joy from Detroit fans at the Draft only reinforced my excitement. The vision that Manon has for our roster and the culture she’s building is something special, and will put us in a position to win from the start. I’m looking forward to helping grow the game and contributing to the incredible energy surrounding women’s sports in Detroit.”
The 36-year-old from Sun Valley, ID, made history in the first-ever PWHL game at Little Caesars Arena, scoring the opening goal and the shootout winner for Boston in a 2-1 triumph over Ottawa on March 16, 2024. For her PWHL career, Knight has amassed 54 points (26G, 28A) in 76 regular-season games, including 14 points (5G, 9A) in 22 games as captain of the Seattle Torrent in 2025-26. Internationally, Knight has won five Olympic medals (two gold, three silver), is the all-time leader in U.S. Olympic goals (15) and points (33), and has won 15 medals (10 gold, five silver) at the IIHF Women’s World Championship. She won two NCAA National Championships at the University of Wisconsin where she remains the Badgers’ all-time leader in goals.
Knight is one of 15 players on PWHL Detroit who is under contract for the upcoming season, and one of 12 with multi-year agreements. She is part of a forward group that includes Hannah Bilka, Jesse Compher, Britta Curl-Salemme, Shiann Darkangelo, Taylor Girard, Olivia Wallin and Daryl Watts. The team’s defense currently includes Sydney Bard, Cayla Barnes, Mia Biotti, Mellissa Channell-Watkins, Nina Jobst-Smith and Stephanie Markowski, plus goaltender Alice Philbert.
PWHL Detroit selected six players in the 2026 PWHL Draft presented by Upper Deck on June 17 at Fox Theatre, adding four forwards, one defender, and one goaltender to the organization’s roster.
A complete list of player signings and transactions is available on the official PWHL Transactions Page. To see the full overview of the status of PWHL player contracts, visit the PWHL Contract Guide here.
ABOUT PWHL DETROIT
PWHL Detroit is one of 12 teams in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), which was founded in 2023. The PWHL began its inaugural season in January 2024 and features the best women’s hockey players in the world. PWHL Detroit was officially announced as one of the league’s four new expansion teams on May 6 and will debut at Little Caesars Arena in the fall. Fans can place a time-stamped deposit here, opens in a new tab to secure priority access to season tickets for PWHL Detroit’s historic inaugural season, once ticket packages are released. To learn more and stay up to date, visit DetroitPWHL.com, subscribe to the newsletter here, opens in a new tab and follow the team on Facebook PWHL Detroit, opens in a new tab, Instagram @PWHL__Detroit, opens in a new tab, X @PWHL__Detroit, opens in a new tab, TikTok @PWHL__Detroit, opens in a new tab, YouTube PWHL Detroit, opens in a new tab, Threads @PWHL__Detroit, opens in a new tab, and Bluesky @PWHL--Detroit, opens in a new tab.
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