The Vegas Golden Knights have announced that goaltender Carter Hart, one of the five hockey players acquitted in a sexual assault trial earlier this year, will join the organization. In a statement posted to social media on Thursday, the Vegas Golden Knights said Hart will be joining the organization. The statement went on to say the team is aligned with the process and assessment the NHL and NHL Players Association made in their decisions. The NHL has since reinstated the players and said they would be eligible to sign contracts on Oct. 15 and take part in games on Dec. 1. The NHL’s decision came roughly seven weeks after Hart, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton were found not guilty by a judge in a London, Ont., courtroom. It was reported earlier this month that McLeod signed a three-year contract with Avangard Omsk of the Russian-based Kontinental Hockey League. Last month, the Canadian government told the hockey players’ lawyers that it would not appeal the ruling.
