LAS VEGAS, NV – PWHL Las Vegas today announced that forward Hilary Knight received an Expansion Foundational Offer (EFO) and has signed a one-year Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Standard Player Agreement ahead of the team’s inaugural 2026-27 season. Knight becomes the team’s fifth and final player to be added during Phase 2 of the PWHL’s Expansion Roster Distribution Process.
Knight is one of the most accomplished players in women’s hockey history, most recently serving as the inaugural captain of the Seattle Torrent during the 2025-26 season. She contributed 14 points (5G, 9A) while being limited to 22 games after sustaining a lower-body injury in the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, where she captained Team USA to gold. The 36-year-old native of Sun Valley, ID, spent her first two PWHL seasons captaining Boston, highlighted by a 2024-25 campaign that saw Knight co-lead the league in points (29), tie for second in goals (15), and tie for sixth in assists (14) in 30 games, earning recognition as a First Team All-Star and finalist for the PWHL Billie Jean King MVP award and Forward of the Year award. Across 76 career PWHL games, Knight has registered 54 points (26G, 28A) and is tied for ninth in league history in goals and ranks 12th in total points.
On the international stage, Knight is a legend for the U.S. Women’s National Team. In February, she capped off her fifth Olympic Winter Games by becoming the all-time leading scorer in U.S. Olympic history, posting her record-setting 15th goal and recording her 33rd point in a gold medal victory over Canada. The gold medal game also made Knight the only player in U.S. Women’s Olympic Ice Hockey history to earn five medals (two gold, three silver), adding to a prolific international career that includes 10 golds and 15 total medals (five silver) at the IIHF Women’s World Championship. Knight played collegiately at the University of Wisconsin where she won two NCAA National Championships and remains the Badgers’ all-time leader in goals scored.
Each expansion team was granted one binding EFO to pursue a player on an expiring PWHL contract through a premium multi-year contract opportunity. Players who received an EFO were permitted to choose a contract length ranging from one to four years.
The addition of Knight follows earlier PWHL Las Vegas signings during Phase 2, including fellow forward and U.S. Olympic gold medalist Hayley Scamurra (three-year contract), and Canadian defenders Erin Ambrose, Mae Batherson, and Kendall Cooper, each signed to two-year contracts.
Knight’s signing is the last in Phase 2 of the Expansion Player Distribution Process, which began Friday at 12 p.m. ET and allowed each expansion team to build the foundation of its roster by acquiring five players through signings. Only players identified on an expansion team’s initial 20-player Exclusive Negotiation Target List were eligible to be signed during Phase 2. Existing teams could lose a maximum of three players who are under contract for the 2026-27 season during this phase. Read the full rules here.
A complete list of player signings and transactions is available on the official PWHL Transactions Page. To see the full overview of PWHL player contracts statuses before Phase 2 began, visit the PWHL Contract Guide here.
ABOUT PWHL LAS VEGAS
PWHL Las Vegas 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 Las Vegas was officially announced as one of the league’s four new expansion teams on May 13 and will debut at T-Mobile 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 Las Vegas’ historic inaugural season, once ticket packages are released. To learn more and stay up to date, visit LasVegasPWHL.com, subscribe to PWHL Las Vegas’ newsletter here, opens in a new tab, and follow the team on Facebook PWHL Las Vegas, opens in a new tab, Instagram @PWHL_LasVegas, opens in a new tab, X @PWHL_LasVegas, opens in a new tab, TikTok @PWHL_LasVegas, opens in a new tab, YouTube PWHL Las Vegas, opens in a new tab, Threads @PWHL_LasVegas, opens in a new tab, Bluesky @PWHL-LasVegas, opens in a new tab, and LinkedIn PWHL Las Vegas, opens in a new tab.
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