LAS VEGAS — On the secondary rink at the Vegas Golden Knights’ practice facility in Summerlin, Nev., Carter Hart took the ice Thursday morning.

Wearing a white, nondescript set of goalie pads and a Golden Knights practice jersey, Hart skated with goalie coach Sean Burke and faced shots from several Vegas skaters before the team’s full morning skate.

Hart signed a professional tryout agreement to join the organization on Thursday, marking the first step in his return to the NHL after he was among the five players from Canada’s World Juniors team found not guilty of sexual assault charges in July. The signing came one day after Hart became eligible to sign an NHL contract, and more than 20 months since his last NHL appearance with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Following the skate, Hart spoke publicly for the first time since he faced charges and went through an eight-week trial in London, Ontario. The trial involved five members of Canada’s 2018 World Junior Championship gold-medal team, and centered around what took place in a hotel room between the players and a then-20-year-old woman following a celebration at a bar. Hart and his four teammates were found not guilty.

“It’s been a long road to get back to this point, and to get back to playing the game of hockey, a game that I love,” Hart said in the dressing room, surrounded by a huddle of television cameras, media members and Vegas team employees. “I’ve been out of the game for a year and a half now. I’ve learned a lot, I’ve grown a lot, and I’m just excited to move forward.”

Here’s video of Carter Hart on the ice in a VGK practice sweater

🎥: @VGKgoaliegirl pic.twitter.com/RtLFsf8pxd

— Jesse Granger (@JesseGranger_) October 16, 2025

Hart said he and his agent spoke to “a few teams,” but he ultimately decided to sign with the Golden Knights organization.

“I’ve heard nothing but great things about the city, the community, the fan base, the organization, and I got to meet a lot of people here today,” he said. “I’m so excited to get the chance to play in front of them, and for them, and just get to show the community my true character, who I really am and what I’m about.”

Asked how he plans on demonstrating that, Hart replied, “I’ve done a lot in the community in Philadelphia. I loved my time there. The younger generation of athletes and hockey players, and my community back home, everybody knows. For me, that way, just being involved in the community, doing what I can, help younger players, teach younger athletes and just be a helping hand in the community, and do what I can to show who I really am.”

He said there are no specific plans for his community outreach at the time, but “That will be up for discussion later on with the staff.”

As for the details on the ice, Hart will practice with the Golden Knights on a professional tryout agreement, which is expected to convert into an NHL contract at some point. He isn’t eligible to play an NHL game until Dec. 1, but can practice immediately and will be eligible to play in conditioning games in the American Hockey League beginning on Nov. 15.

“He’ll be with us,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I don’t know if he’ll be with us every day, or when we go on the road. I expect him to be here with us this week. He hasn’t played in a while. He needs some work. I think he would be the first to acknowledge that.”

As of Thursday, it had been 635 days since Hart’s last NHL action.

“I’ve had a normal summer of training with everybody back home in Edmonton,” Hart explained. “We got a good group of guys there. The past month, everybody’s been gone, so I’ve just been skating with my goalie coach back home, and there are a few shooters kind of hanging around. I’ve been doing everything I can to stay ready and stay prepared.”

In the meantime, he will be around the team as he prepares for Dec. 1. He met several of his new teammates for the first time on Thursday.

“I think just being around here with the guys, getting to know them and the organization on a day-to-day basis,” Hart said. “Showing them that I’m here to help them win and compete alongside them, work alongside them. That’s really important, and that’s one thing that I’ve missed a lot over the past year and a half, is the team element and being around the guys.”

Golden Knights captain Mark Stone said the front office “put a lot of time and effort” into the decision to sign Hart, and that, “We talked with everybody here. We all talked about it today, and we saw Carter here today for the first time. We’re happy to have him here, and we’re happy to welcome him to our team, to our family, and incorporate him into the culture that we have.”

Jack Eichel said he met Hart for the first time on Thursday and that he’s looking forward to having him join the team.

“We’re here for him,” Eichel said. “We’re a big family and we support each other. That’s the big thing.”

Hart, 27, was a second-round pick by Philadelphia in 2016. He played in 227 games for the Flyers, with a record of 96-93-29, and he has a career save percentage of .906 and a minus-11.92 goals saved above expected.

“Everybody has been very supportive,” he said. “It’s been a long road. I’m so grateful and humbled to be standing here today in Las Vegas with the Golden Knights. I’ve learned a lot along the way, I’ve grown a lot, and I just can’t wait to get going and play some hockey here.”