Carter Hart Addresses Media in Vegas As He Officially Joins Golden Knights

Thursday, October 16, 2025

Carter Hart, new Vegas Golden Knights goaltender

It was one of the worst-kept secrets around hockey for the past few weeks, but on Thursday it became official. Carter Hart is joining the Vegas Golden Knights on a PTO, and he addressed the media there for the first time.

The Golden Knights, alluding to the past discretions of Hart, which were made very public over the last year and a half, say the team "remains 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."

Hart and four teammates from the 2018 Canadian World Junior Championship hockey team were acquitted of sexual assault charges by a London, Ont. court this past summer. 

The 27-year-old goalie met with the Vegas media for the first time and says he's ready to move on from the past. 

Carter Hart says he's 'grateful, excited & honored' to join the Golden Knights

"I'm beyond grateful, excited and honored to be a part of the Golden Knights... It's been a long road to get back to this point, to get back to playing the game of hockey that I love. 

"I've been out of the game for a year and a half now, and I’ve learned a lot. I’ve grown a lot. I’m just excited to move forward... And I'm so excited to get the chance to... show the community my true character and what I'm all about," said Hart.

Golden Knights captain Mark Stone says the players were approached by management ahead of time, to let them know of their intentions to sign Hart. Stone said they're “happy to welcome him to the team.”

Superstar Jack Eichel echoed those sentiments, saying, “When you speak to people who know Carter, they have a lot of good things to say about his character and who he is as a person. We’re really looking forward to having him and moving forward.”

Hart was a legit No. 1 goalie in his days with the Philadelphia Flyers, posting a .906 save percentage in six seasons with a 2.94 goals against average. 

Per an agreement between the NHL and NHLPA, Hart (and the four other acquitted players) became eligible to sign an NHL contract on Wednesday, and can officially suit up for a game as of December 1st. It'll take Hart that long to get back up to speed. His last NHL game was January 20, 2024. 

The PTO is just a formality, and will ultimately turn into a two-year contract. 

Photo: © Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

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