Torrent captain jumps to Vegas, then Detroit
The Torrent’s captain has moved on … twice. Hilary Knight will apparently play next season in Detroit with one of the four Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) 2026-’27 expansion teams.
Wait!! What?!
This was an official league announcement on Tuesday morning:
“PWHL Las Vegas today announced that forward Hilary Knight received an Expansion Foundational Offer (EFO) and has signed a one-year Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Standard Player Agreement ahead of the team’s inaugural 2026-27 season. Knight becomes the team’s fifth and final player to be added during Phase 2 of the PWHL’s Expansion Roster Distribution Process.”
Hold on!!
Sportsnet in Canada reported that the Vegas signing was just part-one of a two-step move. It turns out a sign-and-trade deal immediately sent Knight to the Detroit expansion team in exchange for a first-round pick in the upcoming PWHL draft.
Knight’s image appears on the PWHL-Detroit home page, although the news was not included in the press release. Sources told Sportsnet the move would not be official until the league’s trade freeze is lifted on June 16th, a day before the draft.
Despite missing eight games near the end of last season following a knee injury suffered at the 2026 Winter Olympics, an event won by Team USA, a squad she captained, Knight garnered rock star status in Seattle while playing for the Torrent.
It didn’t take long for even novice fans to realize that a legend was in their midst. The two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and ten-time World Champion quickly endeared herself to the public in Seattle. On ice, the 36-year-old tallied five goals and nine assists over 22 games with the last place Torrent.
Prior to that, Knight spent the first two PWHL seasons as captain of the Boston Fleet.
Two other Olympic champions from the Seattle roster were plucked earlier in the process by Detroit; defender Cayla Barnes and forward Hanna Bilka will also play in Motown.
Earlier Torrent:
— Torrent Show Quick Trigger With Coach
Earlier Kraken:
— Coach Said Last Year’s Kraken A Little Fragile
