Hilary Knight has been a part of four different PWHL teams within just three seasons, but all that will soon come to an end. The 36-year-old Team USA captain will stay with PWHL Detroit for the next two years, staying committed to the expansion team until 2028-2029.

She explained the reasons behind her decision in an interview with The Detroit News this week, talking about it while in France.

"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 Detroit News. "I definitely want consistency. We want to win this thing. We want to bring a championship to Detroit."

Knight’s contract lasts until 2028-29, and Knight herself said that she wanted to play there for three more years. Knight will earn no less than $100,000 in 2026-27 based on the basic contract she had signed with Las Vegas before the sign-and-trade made her move to Detroit.

The fact that Detroit sacrificed its first-round draft pick shows how much the team means to the franchise.

One of the reasons why Knight chose to join Detroit was something she had already seen for herself. Knight talked about that particular episode in the same interview with The Detroit News.

"It was just like one of those epic games," Knight said, recalling PWHL's Takeover Tour stop at Little Caesars Arena. "A packed LCA, I couldn't hear a thing the whole game. People were just buzzing. You could really feel the energy."

That game at LCA attracted 13,000-plus spectators on March 16, 2024, establishing a new U.S. record for attendance at a women's professional hockey game at that time.

The four Takeover Tour games held in Detroit during the first three seasons of the PWHL contributed to Detroit getting an expansion team for 2026-27.

The fact that Knight is so dedicated to Detroit speaks volumes about the current state of the women's game, as does her involvement.

This bigger picture has been Knight’s lifelong pursuit, and Detroit definitely falls into that category.

Hilary Knight on the PWHL's Growth and What It Means for Women's Hockey

Knight has spent many years campaigning for everything that the PWHL represents, and there is no denying it. When speaking to The Detroit News, she looked back on the quick rise of the league since its formation.

"This was always my vision," Knight told The Detroit News. "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."

The PWHL was formed with six teams, increased to eight in the previous season, and now boasts 12 teams in the 2026-27 season, with one of the four newcomers being Detroit.

Knight scored 15 goals, the same as the league leader that season, while she played for Boston.

Knight is just one of the 15 players currently signed by PWHL Detroit, and one of the 12 players who have multiple-year contracts, thus giving the new expansion team a solid group of seasoned players for their first season in Little Caesars Arena.

What are your thoughts on Hilary Knight's signing with Detroit? Leave a comment below.

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Written by

Utsav Gupta

Edited by

Utsav Gupta