Golden Knights send Carter Hart to AHL on conditioning loan

The Vegas Golden Knights announced Saturday that they’ve assigned goaltender Carter Hart to the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights for a conditioning stint.

Vegas brought Hart in for a professional tryout (PTO) on October 16th, and was eventually signed to a two-year, $4 million contract.

Hart, 27, was one of five former members of the 2018 Canadian National Junior Team who were charged with sexual assault stemming from an alleged incident that took place in London, Ontario. Hart, along with Dillon Dubé, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton and Michael McLeod, were found not guilty by Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia in July.

According to the reinstatement plan negotiated by the NHL and NHLPA, these five players were eligible to be signed by NHL teams beginning on October 15th of this year, but are not eligible to play in the NHL until December 1st. This means Hart, who hasn’t played in the NHL since January of 2024, will spend at least the rest of November in the AHL before joining the Golden Knights.

Prior to going on leave from the NHL due to the charges, Hart spent six season with the Philadelphia Flyers. Over 218 career starts, along with nine relief appearances, the Sherwood Park, Alberta native has a 96-93-29 record to go along with a .906 save percentage and a 2.95 goals-against average.

Vegas placed goaltender Adin Hill on injured reserve Saturday with a lower-body injury, with no clear timetable for his return. If Hill’s injury troubles persist beyond November, the Golden Knights may call upon Hart as soon as possible to at least form a tandem with Akira Schmid.

Vegas currently sits tied for fifth place in the Pacific Division, with 19 points in 16 games. They’ll kick off a small, two-game road trip on Saturday when they play the St. Louis Blues, followed by the Minnesota Wild on Sunday.