Manon Rheaume went out of her way to add the best known player in women’s hockey to the PWHL Detroit’s inaugural roster, and that player couldn’t be more excited to extend the relationship.
Hilary Knight, acquired by general manager Rheaume earlier this month, has signed a two-year contract extension that will keep her in Detroit through the 2028-29 season. In the twilight of her career, the appeal of being part of Rheaume’s vision − and helping the PWHL grow − hit every marker for Knight in what already has been a remarkable year: She captained the U.S. women’s team to the gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics a day after proposing to U.S. speed-skater Brittany Bowe, who was also competing in Italy. The couple met at the 2022 Beijing Games.
“It’s been a great,” Knight told the Free Press and USA TODAY on Wednesday, June 24. “I think you have your team journey and setting out and actually accomplishing and fulfilling and realizing that Olympic dream goal − it’s just it’s really hard to put into words. It’s like that magical storybook ending.”
The Detroit team (a nickname is still in the works) acquired Knight on June 16 in exchange for Detroit’s first-round pick (third overall) in the 2026 draft. Rheaume was still able to use the draft to reel in the players she wanted, most notably 2026 Olympic bronze medalist goaltender Andrea Brändli of Switzerland. Other Detroit teammates include fellow American gold medalists Cayla Barnes, Hannah Bilka and Britta Curl-Salemme, Canadian Olympian Daryl Watts, German national team defender Nina Jobst-Smith, and French Olympic goaltender Alice Philbert.
The team will play home games at Little Caesars Arena, with the schedule expected to begin in late November/early December after the World Championships in Denmark. (Sharing a building with the Detroit Red Wings is perfect for Knight, who was a Wings fan growing up.)
Rheaume’s all-in approach to winning now holds huge appeal for Knight.
“She’s the reason why I’m coming to Detroit,” Knight said. “I think that vision starts with her, and I want to trust somebody who’s done it. She understands it, she gets it. So to be able to follow her to Detroit and be a part of that expansion class there is really special to me.
“I’m really excited with sort of the roster that she’s forming and building and the culture she wants to have in the room. Her expertise and what she’s done in her own right is awesome. But establishing something in Detroit − I don’t want to necessarily put too lofty of goals or expectations on this team because it is an expansion team. However, we have a lot of people who are willing to go through a wall for Manon, and want to get it done and want to be the best hockey players and people that they can be. I think that’s a great first step.”
Knight, who grew up in the Chicago area and played collegiately at Wisconsin from 2007-2012, played professionally in various women’s leagues from 2012-2023. She went on to serve as the inaugural captain of the PWHL Boston team from the league’s founding in 2023 through 2024-25. When the league expanded to Seattle ahead of the 2025-26 season, Knight signed with the Torrent and was named the franchise’s first captain. She was left unprotected by the Torrent as the league expanded to 12 teams this offseason and originally signed a one-year deal with expansion PWHL Las Vegas before moving on to Detroit.
Now it’s a place where she’s set up to finish her career.
“I’ve been longing to call some someplace home, like a home away from home,” Knight said. “I love Boston, spent a lot of my 20s in Boston, grew up there. Absolutely love the city of Seattle. But somewhere I can call home away from home that’s consistent and really work toward building something? It’s really hard to shuffle around every single year, but really looking forward to getting to work and getting to know the community and having a home.”
First up is finding a place for her, Bowe and their 8-year-old English bulldog/mastiff mix, Bane, to call home, as well.
“We’re packing up the car and the dog, and that’s really exciting to me.,” Knight said, laughing. “Going back to a winter is a little bit daunting. I’ve had a few mild winters the last couple years. But, no, I’m really excited and just hearing about the facilities being at LCA – I mean, that’s just that’s great. The infrastructure is there for us, so it’s really exciting what’s ahead.”
Contact Helene St. James at Hstjames@freepress.com. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why Hilary Knight is ready to ‘go through a wall’ for PWHL Detroit
Reporting by Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
