The goalkeeper makes his debut in the squad Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday against the visiting Chicago Blackhawks, the team announced after morning skiing.
Hart agreed to a two-year deal with the Golden Knights in October, becoming the first of five Canadian world junior hockey players in the 2018 class to receive an NHL contract after they were acquitted in a high-profile sexual assault case.
Hart, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton were ineligible to play until Monday as part of the league's reinstatement process.
As of November 15, all five players were eligible to play in the AHL. Hart went 1-2-0 with a 3.07 goals-against average and .839 save percentage with the Henderson Silver Knights.
“Carter has been waiting a long time to play, so he'll definitely get his share of starts,” head coach Bruce Cassidy. said Monday. “We want him to be ready when he's there, physically, (and) it's going to be a mental battle for him to play there every night and be an NHL goalie again. It's been a long time coming, so we want to make sure we take care of that part as well.”
Hart resumes his career at age 27 after spending his first six seasons in Philadelphia. The Flyers have ruled out bringing back Hart, whose camp told general manager Danny Briere the best option was to start over.
Hart and others were charged in 2024 in connection with a 2018 incident in London, Ontario. The judge overseeing the trial stated that the prosecution had failed to meet the burden of proof to convict them and that the applicant's allegations lacked sufficient credibility to support the charges.
The NHL conducted its own investigation beginning in 2022, when the allegations came to light. In a statement outlining when players could return to the league, the NHL wrote that “the League expects and requires that, going forward, each player maintains the standards required of NHL players both on and off the ice.”
The Golden Knights are without goaltender Adin Hill (lower body injury). Vegas' other goaltenders were Akira Schmid and Carl Lindbohm, but the Golden Knights assigned the latter to Henderson on Sunday.
– with files from Associated Press
