Carter Hart will be joining the Vegas Golden Knights organization, the team said in a statement on Thursday.
The goalie last played for the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2023-24 season. He was 12-9-3 with a 2.80 goals-against average, .906 save percentage and one shutout in 26 games (25 starts) before being granted a leave of absence from the team on Jan. 23.
Hart was one of five players on Canada’s 2018 World Junior Championship gold-medal team who was accused of committing sexual assault in June of that year. All five were found not guilty.
On Sept. 11, the NHL said in a statement that “the events that transpired after the 2018 Hockey Canada Foundation Gala in London, Ontario, prior to these players’ arrival in the NHL, were deeply troubling and unacceptable. The League expects everyone connected with the game to conduct themselves with the highest level of moral integrity. And, in this case, while found not to have been criminal, the conduct of the players involved certainly did not meet that standard.”
The NHL also said that Hart along with forwards Dillon Dube, Michael McLeod and Alex Formenton, and defenseman Cal Foote were eligible to sign an NHL contract no sooner than Oct. 15, and eligible to play in NHL games no sooner than Dec. 1.
McLeod signed a three-year contract with Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia on Oct. 9. The other three remain free agents.
“Following the reinstatement decision agreed on by the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players’ Association, goaltender Carter Hart will be joining the Vegas Golden Knights organization,” the team said in a statement. “The Golden Knights are aligned with the process and assessment the NHL and NHLPA made in their decision. 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 Golden Knights host the Boston Bruins on Thursday (10 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, NESN); the first game Hart is eligible to play in the NHL is against the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 2.
“I’ve heard nothing but great things about the city, the community and the fanbase,” Hart said. “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.”
The second-round pick (No. 48) by Philadelphia in the 2016 NHL Draft, Hart is 96-93-29 with a 2.94 GAA, .906 save percentage and six shutouts in 227 regular-season games (218 starts) and 9-5 with a 2.23 GAA, .926 save percentage and two shutouts in 14 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
The Golden Knights have two goalies on their current roster. Adin Hill started 50 games last season, going 32-13-5 with a 2.47 GAA and .906 save percentage, and Akira Schmid played five games (three starts), going 2-0-1 with a 1.26 GAA and .944 save percentage.
Hill sustained a lower-body injury in the first period of a 4-2 win against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday and didn’t return. There has been no update on his status.
Ilya Samsonov, who was the primary backup for the Golden Knights last season, was not re-signed. He was 16-9-4 with a 2.82 GAA and .891 save percentage in 29 games last season.
