Olympic gold medalist Hilary Knight, Team USA's captain at Milan Cortina, is headed to PWHL Detroit

Hilary Knight, who captained Team USA to a gold medal at this winter's Milan Cortina Olympics, is joining PWHL Detroit.

The league confirmed the move on June 16, when PWHL Detroit and PWHL Las Vegas completed a trade that sent Knight to Detroit in exchange for Detroit's first-round pick, third overall, in the 2026 PWHL Draft. The deal ran through Las Vegas first. Knight signed a one-year contract with the expansion club after receiving a foundational offer during the league's Expansion Player Distribution Process, then went to Detroit once the roster freeze lifted at 9 a.m. ET that same morning. The draft followed on June 17.

"Hilary Knight is one of the best and most accomplished players in women's hockey history and is a significant addition to our roster ahead of our inaugural season, which makes this a very exciting day for PWHL Detroit," Detroit general manager Manon Rheaume said in announcing the trade. She added that Knight's "desire to compete and to win a Walter Cup will be instrumental in shaping our culture and building our foundation."

Knight, 36, arrives with a resume no other American in the game can match. She has played in five Winter Olympics and owns five Olympic medals, two gold and three silver. Her 15 career Olympic goals and 33 career Olympic points are both all-time U.S. records.

She set those marks in Milan. Trailing Canada 1-0 late in the gold medal game, Knight scored with 2:04 left in the third period to force overtime, where Megan Keller won it for a 2-1 final. It was the third Olympic gold for the U.S. women's program.

Knight served as the inaugural captain of the Seattle Torrent during the 2025-26 PWHL season, the most recent stop in a career that also includes time in Boston. When she came available, Detroit and Las Vegas worked out the trade.

The connection to Milan runs deeper than one player. Detroit head coach Josh Sciba, a Westland native hired in May, was an assistant on the U.S. Olympic staff that won gold, so Knight rejoins part of that group. Detroit had also signed forwards Britta Curl-Salemme and Hannah Bilka and defender Cayla Barnes earlier in the expansion process.

PWHL Detroit, announced in May as the league's ninth franchise, will play its home games at Little Caesars Arena beginning in the 2026-27 season. The team has not revealed a permanent name and operates in black and silver with red accents. Ally Financial, headquartered in the city, is the inaugural team partner.