Carter Hart ready to debut with the Vegas Golden Knights
Carter Hart is expected to make his debut with the Vegas Golden Knights against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday, according to sources close to the team.
Hart, who hadn’t played an NHL game in two years with the Philadelphia Flyers, was called up from the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights on Sunday. This came in anticipation of his mandatory league suspension being lifted on Monday.
Hart, along with Dillon Dubé, Michael McLeod, Cale Foote, and Alex Formenton, was placed on indefinite leave by the NHL in January 2024 following allegations of sexual assault after the 2018 Hockey Canada Foundation Gala.
The 27-year-old player was never arrested, but was charged with one count of sexual assault on January 30, 2024. The trial began on April 22, 2025, in London, Ontario.
The five men were acquitted last summer, with a judge ruling that prosecutors failed to meet the obligation to convict the accused on any of the charges.
The NHL announced in September that those players would be eligible to sign with a new club on October 15 and be reinstated on December 1.
Hart is the only one who has agreed to an NHL contract. He signed a two-year, $4 million contract with Vegas in October and has been with the Silver Knights for the last month. Hart participated in three AHL games, recording a 3.07 goals-against average and a .839 save percentage.
Foote signed an AHL contract with the Chicago Wolves, affiliated with the Carolina Hurricanes, on Monday.
The last time Hart played with the Flyers, on January 20, 2024, he conceded five goals and was substituted after two periods in a 7-4 loss to Colorado. In 227 career games, all with Philadelphia, Hart has a record of 96-93-29 with a goals-against average of 2.94 and a save percentage of .906.
