(WXYZ) — PWHL Detroit officially announced it has acquired former Seattle Torrent and Team USA Captain Hilary Knight through a trade with PWHL Las Vegas.
The news became official when the roster freeze lifted at 9 a.m. Tuesday, ahead of the PWHL Draft in Detroit on Wednesday.
Related: Your guide to the PWHL Draft in Detroit on Wednesday
PWHL Las Vegas will get Detroit's first round pick on Wednesday, which is the third overall pick.
“Hilary Knight is one of the best and most accomplished players in women’s hockey history and is a significant addition to our roster ahead of our inaugural season, which makes this a very exciting day for PWHL Detroit,” PWHL Detroit GM Manon Rhéaume said in a statement. “In addition to the tremendous skill she will bring to the ice, her leadership and presence in the locker room and in the community and her desire to compete and to win a Walter Cup will be instrumental in shaping our culture and building our foundation.”
The 36-year-old Knight is a five-time U.S. Olympian and one of the most decorated players in her sport. She is coming off captaining Team USA to a gold-medal victory at the Milan Cortina Games in February, in which Knight deflected in the championship game-tying goal late in the third period of a 2-1 overtime win against Canada.
In Detroit, Knight joins a team that already features three U.S. gold medal-winning teammates in forwards Britta Curl-Salemme, Hannah Bilka and defender Cayla Barnes, who were signed in the expansion process. She also is reunited with newly hired Detroit coach Josh Sciba, who was an assistant on the U.S. Olympic team.
