PWHL Detroit signs Hilary Knight to two-year extension
One of the most decorated players in hockey history is going to be in Detroit longer than expected.
On Thursday, PWHL Detroit announced that the team has signed forward Hilary Knight to a two-year contract extension. The deal, which begins in 2027-28, will keep the former Boston Fleet captain on the books through the 2028-29 campaign.
The past few weeks have certainly been newsworthy, both positively and negatively, for Detroit and Knight. After going unprotected by the Seattle Torrent in the PWHL Expansion Player Distribution Process, it was widely reported that Knight wanted to join the new franchise in Hockeytown. However, she wasn’t one of the team’s initial five signings in Phase 2, instead signing a one-year contract with Las Vegas. It was then reported that the plan was for Knight to be traded to Detroit once the trade freeze was lifted on June 16, one day before the PWHL Draft.
Knight was sent to Detroit for the team’s first-round pick (No. 3 overall), which was later used by Las Vegas to select Penn State star and Patty Kazmaier finalist Tessa Janecke.
Nevertheless, rather than bank on the future, general manager Manon Rheaume has let it be known that Detroit wants to win now. This is the second year in a row that Knight will play for an expansion team. She signed a one-year contract with the Seattle Torrent, bringing some legitimacy to one of the PWHL’s two teams in the Pacific Northwest. Yet, things didn’t work out for the Idaho native and her new team. The Torrent couldn’t find any consistency, and their lack of offense led to them struggling to keep up with the top squads in the league. On top of that, Knight tore her MCL while representing the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics, which kept her out for over a month from Seattle’s return from break.
While the Torrent finished with the worst record in the young history of the PWHL, the 36-year-old posted five goals and nine assists for 14 points in 22 games. It was a far cry from her performance with the Boston Fleet during the 2024-25 season, when she tied the New York Sirens rookie for the most points in the league with 29.
Knight wasn’t one of the three that Torrent general manager Meghan Turner protected, a decision that came to be mutually agreed upon. Seattle protected forward Alex Carpenter, defender Anna Wilgren and goaltender Hannah Murphy.
In 76 regular-season games in the PWHL, Knight has scored 26 goals and 28 assists for 54 points.
Knight’s Olympic career went out with a bang in Milan. Despite playing through injury, she was able to break the U.S. women’s Olympic goal and points record, helping her team win the gold medal for the third time in the country’s history, and second of her career.
Knight is one of 15 players signed by Detroit for next season. The team can sign four more players prior to training camp, where it will fill out its 23-player roster.