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Goaltender Carter Hart, one of five 2018 World Junior Hockey Championship players acquitted of sexual assault in July, will make his first NHL appearance in nearly two years when he takes the field Tuesday night against the Vegas Golden Knights as they host Chicago.
Hart was the first of the five players to agree to sign an NHL contract. The league ruled that these players were eligible to sign contracts starting October 15th and play starting December 1st. Hart signed a two-year, $4 million contract with the club's American Hockey League affiliate in Henderson, Nevada.
After he agreed to sign, Hart read a statement to reporters that said, in part, that he wanted to “show the community my true character and who I am and what I'm about.”
Hart was asked Monday what steps he has taken to fulfill that promise.
“We talked about a few things,” Hart said. “We've done some things there in Henderson to help the homeless. There are some things that we've talked about all season. Whatever I can do to help, I’m happy to help.”
Making Hart's first home start could help him get a tough start in the league. How welcoming Golden Knights fans will be remains to be seen, but after facing Chicago, Vegas embarks on a five-game road trip against Eastern Conference teams, including a Dec. 11 stop at Hart's former home in Philadelphia.
He worked in Henderson to get back into NHL playing shape. Hart appeared in three games and went 1–2.
“I worked [butt] “I'm going to get back to this point,” Hart said. “For me it’s all about preparation and I did everything I could to be ready.”
The 27-year-old last played in an NHL game on January 20, 2024 for Philadelphia. Hart played six seasons with the Flyers, posting a 96-93-29 record, a .906 save percentage and a 2.94 goals-against average.
Megan Saward said Thursday that the decision in the Hockey Canada case is vindication for her client Carter Hart. She says her client would be willing to engage in a restorative justice process if offered, rather than go through what she called a painful and unnecessary trial.
“Henderson's goal was to get him back to performing,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “He can train with us with the NHL shooters, but the traffic around the goal, the screens and all that stuff is hard to replicate sometimes, especially if you don’t play that often. We worry less about results, get more reps, get used to it.”
The Golden Knights could use some help in net, especially since starting goaltender Adin Hill is on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and could be weeks away from returning. Akira Schmid has gotten most of the work in Hill's absence, going 9-2-4 with a .896 save percentage and 2.51 goals-against percentage.
Vegas lost four straight games before beating San Jose 4-3 on Saturday night.
Cassidy said the upcoming schedule works in the Golden Knights' favor in terms of not overloading goaltenders.
“Akira played well too, so we have to remember he has to stay in shape,” Cassidy said. “So I'm sure you'll see a lot of both goalies, but Carter has been waiting a long time to play, so he'll definitely get his share of the starting lineup.”
