Detroit — Hilary Knight is ready to put down some roots.
Knight, one of the greatest women’s hockey players of all time, spent the inaugural and second seasons of the Professional Women’s Hockey League in Boston. She played for the expansion franchise in Seattle last season.
And then, earlier this month, she was traded to another expansion franchise, PWHL Detroit. Now, Knight is ready to stick around somewhere for a while. She has agreed to a two-year contract extension with PWHL Detroit, the league announced Thursday. The contract runs through the 2028-29 season.
“This opportunity came knocking … and that’s something that piqued my interest, and something that I wanted to be a part of for multiple years,” Knight told The News in an interview this week. “I definitely want consistency.
“We want to win this thing. We want to bring a championship to Detroit. What year that’s going to be, I don’t know, but to be a part of that build and a part of that vision is super special.”
Financial terms of Knight’s contract extension were not disclosed. She will make at least $100,000 in 2026-27, according to the Associated Press, as part of the foundational contract she signed with Las Vegas, another expansion franchise, as part of a sign-and-trade with PWHL Detroit.
Knight, 36, is the foundational piece of PWHL Detroit’s roster, ahead of the team starting play this fall. She was traded to PWHL Detroit last week before the league’s draft at Fox Theatre in downtown Detroit. Las Vegas, another expansion franchise, received PWHL Detroit’s first-round pick in exchange.
Knight said she’s excited to be coming to Detroit, after having seen firsthand the enthusiasm of the hockey fan base from the league’s “Takeover Tour” games at Little Caesars Arena.
“It was very powerful … a packed LCA, I couldn’t hear a thing the whole game,” said Knight, who scored in regulation and then scored the shootout winner in Boston’s 2-1 overtime victory over Ottawa on March 16, 2024, before a crowd of more than 13,000 fans (then a U.S. record for a pro women’s hockey game) in Detroit. “People were just buzzing. You could really feel the energy. I mean, the crowd was wild in the best way.
“It was just like one of those epic games.”
Little Caesars Arena hosted four “Takeover Tour” games in the PWHL’s first three seasons, drawing large crowds, and catching the attention of the league when it began the expansion process.
The PWHL began with six teams, expanded last season to eight, and is expanded this season to 12. Detroit, Las Vegas, San Jose and Hamilton, Ontario, are the new franchises for 2026-27.
It’s been a rapid ascent for the league, and the sport — a popularity boom that Knight has been dreaming of since she was a little kid.
“I think it’s outstanding. I think we’re creating more opportunity for just like women in sports and the industry. From that standpoint, it’s amazing,” she said. “To be able to do that in just over three years is pretty incredible. Really excited with where women’s hockey is going.
“This was always my vision. If people ask me if I’m surprised (in the sport’s popularity), no. I think what’s surprising to me is that it’s happened in such a short amount of time since the league launched.
“I’ve always dreamed about having a pro league for all of us to play in, and for young girls and boys to look up to and be like, ‘I want to do that.’ So that’s really special from that standpoint.”
Knight grew up in California and played college hockey at the University of Wisconsin.
It was during college that she got to spend some time in the summer in northern Michigan, including near Traverse City and Charlevoix. She remembers hanging out at the lake, running along the cherry fields (and occasionally stopping to grab a couple), and even an unfortunate encounter with a raccoon.
Now, she’s returning to Michigan for business, and she means business. She likes what PWHL Detroit has built in a short time since the expansion franchise was announced last month, including the hiring of hockey legend Manon Rheaume as general manager and Westland’s Josh Sciba as head coach. She knows Sciba well from Team USA. She also likes the city’s enthusiasm for hockey. After last month’s expansion announcement, PWHL Detroit accepted thousands of season-ticket deposits.
Knight couldn’t attend last week’s draft at the Fox — her run to Olympic gold in February has her schedule booked solid these days; she spoke to The News from France — but she was an interested observer from afar.
“I’m really pumped about the picks that we picked up,” Knight said, adding she believes the pieces already are in place for PWHL Detroit to do “great things together.”
Knight began her PWHL career with Boston and tied for the league lead with 15 goals in 2024-25, before she joined the expansion Seattle franchise last offseason. Knight was a captain with Boston and Seattle.
Knight has battled some injuries during her time in the PWHL, and she acknowledged she’s in the later point of her hockey career. But when asked how much longer she wants to play, she said at least three more years, the length of her new contract with Detroit.
“I love the game,” Knight said. “I’m still playing at a super high level.”
A two-time Olympic gold medalist, Knight was among the heroes for Team USA in February in Milan, Italy, scoring the tying goal with two minutes left in regulation to send the gold-medal game to overtime. The Americans beat Canada, 2-1, in overtime, for Knight’s second Olympic gold medal (2018).
Knight also has won three silver medals in the Olympics and 10 gold medals in the World Championships. She also won two national championships at Wisconsin.
But nothing boosted her profile — and the profile of the sport — quite like that gold medal in Milan.
“The last few months have been wild, but in the best way,” said Knight, who even appeared on “Saturday Night Live” with fellow Team USA stars Megan Keller (Farmington Hills) and the Hughes brothers, Jack and Quinn. “I hope that continues … this awesome momentum from the Olympics that’s just going to snowball.”
The PWHL was founded and funded by Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walters and wife Kimbra, and earlier this week it took on its first outside investors. Ilitch Companies, led by CEO Chris Ilitch, announced it has purchased an equity stake in the PWHL for an undisclosed amount, adding to its vast sports portfolio that also includes the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers. The 12 PWHL franchises will continue to be owned by the league.
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: PWHL star Hilary Knight puts down roots in Detroit, signs extension
Reporting by Tony Paul, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tony Paul, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
