Hilary Atwood Knight (born July 12, 1989) is an American

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

for

PWHL Seattle PWHL Seattle is the working name for an upcoming professional ice hockey team based in Seattle, Washington, United States, that will compete in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). They are the league's second expansion franchise and ...

of the

Professional Women's Hockey League The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL; , LPHF) is a women's professional ice hockey league in North America. The league comprises eight teams, four each from the United States and Canada. The teams play a Season (sports), regular season ...

(PWHL). She is also captain of the

United States women's national ice hockey team The United States women's national ice hockey team is controlled by USA Hockey. The U.S. has been one of the most successful women's ice hockey teams in international play, having medaled in every major tournament. In 1998, the women's Olympic ...

. She previously played for the

Les Canadiennes de Montréal Les Canadiennes de Montréal were a professional Women's ice hockey, women's ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 2007 as the Montreal Stars (Stars de Montréal), they competed in the Canadian Women's Hockey League ( ...

of the

CWHL The Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL; ) was a women's ice hockey league. Established in 2007 as a Canadian women's senior league in the Greater Toronto Area, Montreal, and Ottawa, the league expanded into Alberta (2011) and internationally i ...

and the

Boston Pride The Boston Pride was a professional women's ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was one of the four charter franchises of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). The Pride played at Warrior Ice Arena, which is also the practice fac ...

of the NWHL, with whom she won the inaugural

Isobel Cup The Lady Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Cup, often shortened to Isobel Cup, is the championship trophy that was awarded annually to the now defunct Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) playoff winner. The trophy is named after Lady Isobel Gathorne-Hardy, th ...

, and the

Boston Fleet The Boston Fleet are a professional ice hockey team based in the Greater Boston area that competes in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). They are one of the six charter franchises of the league. The team plays its home games at Tso ...

of the PWHL. Knight played high school hockey for

Choate Rosemary Hall Choate Rosemary Hall ( ) is a Independent school, private, Mixed-sex education, co-educational, College-preparatory school, college-preparatory boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1890, it took its present na ...

Wallingford, Connecticut Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, centrally located between New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford, and Boston and New York City. The town is part ...

and

college hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America. In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the go ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. In her first year at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

, Knight helped the team place second in the NCAA championships. The following year she led her team in points as the Badgers went on to win the

National Championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...

. With the US national team, she has won nine gold medals at the

IIHF World Women's Championship The IIHF Women's World Championship is the premier international women's tournament in ice hockey. It is governed by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The official world competition was first held in 1990, with four more champions ...

and a gold medal at the

2018 Winter Olympics The 2018 Winter Olympics (), officially the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (; ) and also known as PyeongChang 2018 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held between 9 and 25 February 2018 in Pyeongchang County, South Ko ...

. Knight was the inaugural recipient of the

IIHF Female Player of the Year The IIHF Female Player of the Year award is given out annually by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), in recognition of the ice hockey player who "best exemplifies exceptional skill, determination, team success, and sporting characte ...

award in 2023.

Early life

Knight was born in

Palo Alto, California Palo Alto ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a charter city in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. Th ...

; she grew up in

Lake Forest, Illinois Lake Forest is a city located in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 19,367. The city is along the shore of Lake Michigan, and is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and t ...

and

Hanover, New Hampshire Hanover is a New England town, town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 11,870. The town is home to the Ivy League university ...

. After moving to Lake Forest, her mother enrolled Knight and her three younger brothers in hockey. She grew up in a skiing family. Her cousin is three-time Olympic alpine skier

Chip Knight Chip Knight (born January 11, 1975) is an American former professional alpine skier. He competed in the 1998 Winter Olympics, 2002 Winter Olympics, and 2006 Winter Olympics. Knight has served as the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association Alpine Develop ...

Playing career

Wisconsin Badgers

Hilary Knight tile in the lower concourse of the Kohl Center IMG 3533

In her freshman season (2007–2008), Knight ranked second on the team in goals (20) and tied for fifth on the team in assists (18). Her points total of 38 was third overall in team scoring. She ranked seventh in the nation in points per game for rookies and game-winning goals. During the season, Knight had 12 multi-point games (ranked third). For the season, Knight led the team in game-winning goals with six. On February 2, Knight recorded a hat trick against WCHA rival North Dakota. As a sophomore, Knight appeared in 39 games for the Badgers. Knight led the NCAA in goal scoring (45) and points (83). Her 16 power-play goals ranked first in the NCAA. Based on her statistical accomplishments, Knight became the new Badgers record-holder for points, goals, and power-play goals in one season. She recorded 24 multi-point games, 13 multi-goal games, and 11 multi-assist games. On September 27, 2008, versus the Quinnipiac Bobcats, Knight had a career-high (and school record) five goals in one game. In the process, she recorded her first natural hat trick. Versus WCHA rival North Dakota (on November 16), Knight got her second hat trick of the season. During the Frozen Four, Knight led the team in scoring with six points (three goals and three assists). From September 26 to October 31, Knight had a nine-game point-scoring streak. She would end the season with a six-game point streak. On October 2, 2010, Knight had a five-point game in a 6–0 victory over RPI. She had a

natural hat trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

to start the game and then had two assists. On January 14 and 16, 2011, Knight produced eight scoring points while leading the Badgers to a two-game sweep of St. Cloud State. Knight accumulated five points on three goals and two assists in the January 14, 10–0 win. On the 16th, she had two more goals and one assist for three points as the Badgers won 6–0. Of her five goals, two were scored on the power play, and one of the goals on January 14 was the game-winner. With the sweep, the Badgers increased their winning streak to 10 straight games. Knight was the top goal scorer in Div. 1 women's hockey this season with 31. On February 5, 2011, Knight scored her 36th goal of the year at 2:46 in the overtime period as Wisconsin defeated the Bemidji State Beavers by a 3–2 mark at the Sanford Center. Bemidji State goalie Alana McElhinney made 43 saves on the night, including 24 in the second period. LaBahn IMG 8185 Hillary Knight plaque

On September 25, 2011, Knight scored her fifth career hat trick in a 13–0 defeat of the

Lindenwood Lady Lions ice hockey The Lindenwood Lady Lions ice hockey team represents Lindenwood University located in St. Charles, Missouri. The Lady Lions participate in NCAA Division I competition as a member of the Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) conference. The team played wi ...

program. In a December 10, 2011, WCHA contest versus Bemidji State, Knight produced four points, giving her a career total of 239. She has now surpassed

Meghan Duggan Meghan Duggan (born September 3, 1987) is an American former ice hockey forward and director of player development for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League. She played for the United States at the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2014 Wi ...

's 238 career points to become the Wisconsin Badgers' all-time leading point scorer. For her efforts, Knight was recognized as the WCHA Player of the Week. On January 28, 2012, the Badgers hosted a record crowd of 12,402 that attended the Kohl Center as Wisconsin swept the Bemidji State Beavers. Knight notched her first goal since December 10 with 7:38 left in the third period. Said goal would stand as the game-winner on Fill the Bowl night. She graduated with 262 career points and is the Badgers all-time leader in goals (143), game-winning goals (30), power-play goals (37), and short-handed goals (8).

CWHL

Selected fourth overall by the

Boston Blades Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and financial center of New England, a region of the Northeastern United States. It has an area of and a ...

in the 2012 CWHL Draft, Knight ended the season third overall in league scoring. She became the first American-born player to win the CWHL's Most Valuable Player Award. She was the leading scorer in the postseason, helping the Blades win the

2013 Clarkson Cup The 2013 Clarkson Cup is a women's ice hockey tournament that was contested in Markham, Ontario to determine the champion of the Canadian Women's Hockey League from March 20 to March 23, 2013. The Boston Blades defeated the Montreal Stars by a 5-2 ...

NWHL

On September 25, 2015, Knight moved to the

of the NWHL. In her first game with the Boston Pride, she scored the team's first goal and went on to score another goal in the game. She finished the season as the NWHL's first scoring champion. Knight scored the overtime-winning goal in Game 1 of the 2016 Isobel Cup finals and ultimately won the inaugural

with the Pride. In February 2017, while playing for Team Kessel, Knight scored a goal at the 2nd NWHL All-Star Game.

Return to CWHL

On March 8, 2018,

Les Canadiennes de Montreal LES or Les may refer to: People * Les (given name) * Les (surname) * L.E.S. (producer), hip hop producer Space flight * Launch Entry Suit, worn by Space Shuttle crews * Launch escape system, for spacecraft emergencies * Lincoln Experimental S ...

announced that Knight would be joining the team in time for the 2018 CWHL playoff run. Knight would return to Les Canadiennes for the 2018-19 CWHL season, helping the club reach the

2019 Clarkson Cup The 2019 Clarkson Cup was held at Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto on 24 March 2019 with the Calgary Inferno defeating the Canadiennes de Montreal by a score of 5-2. Brianna Decker scored the game-winning goal during a power play opportunity in the second ...

finals. Knight would earn an assist in the game, despite the Calgary Inferno defeating Montreal in a 5–2 final score.

PWHPA

In May 2019, Knight joined the #ForTheGame movement, leading to the formation of the

Professional Women's Hockey Players Association The Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for the promotion of professional women's ice hockey. It was founded in May 2019 following the dissolution of the Canadian Women's Ho ...

PWHL

Knight was one of the first players to sign in the new

(PWHL) when she signed with

PWHL Boston The Boston Fleet are a professional ice hockey team based in the Greater Boston area that competes in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). They are one of the six charter franchises of the league. The team plays its home games at Tso ...

on September 7, 2023. On January 2, 2024, Knight was named the team's inaugural captain. During the 2024–25 season, she recorded 15 goals and 14 assists during the regular season. Her 29 points tied

Sarah Fillier Sarah Anne Fillier (born June 9, 2000) is a Canadian ice hockey player for the New York Sirens of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). She was selected first overall by New York in the 2024 PWHL draft, before which she played college i ...

for the league lead, as she claimed the PWHL Points Leader award. During the league's expansion ahead of the 2025–26 season, Knight was left unprotected by the Fleet and signed a one-year contract with

on June 4, 2025, becoming the first player to join the new team.

International

As a teenager, Knight was a United States senior national team member. In November 2006, she played for Team USA in the Four Nations Cup and was the youngest player for Team USA at 17 years old. At the 2007 IIHF World Women's Championship, she was the youngest player on the United States squad. Her head coach was also the Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson. Knight earned silver at the tournament for the US. Later that year, she played for the United States Under 22 National Team. She scored the game-winning goal at 7:48 of overtime as the U.S. Women's National Team won its third consecutive world title with a 3–2 overtime victory against Canada at the

2011 IIHF Women's World Championship The 2011 IIHF Women's World Championship was the 13th edition of the Women's Ice Hockey World Championship run by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). It was held from April 16 to 25, 2011 in Zürich and Winterthur, Switzerland, and t ...

at Hallenstadion. In the United States first game of the

2011 IIHF Eight Nations Tournament The IIHF 12 Nations Invitational Tournament Series was held in Vierumäki, Finland (August 24–31), Courchevel, France (August 28–30), and Füssen, Germany (November 9–13). The competing nations will be the national women's teams. This is a n ...

, Knight scored a hat trick in a victory over Russia. In the opening match of the 2012 IIHF World Women's Championships, Knight scored two goals in a 9–2 win over Canada. Knight represented the United States at the

2023 IIHF Women's World Championship The 2023 IIHF Women's World Championship was the 22nd edition of the IIHF World Women's Championship, an international ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), contested in Brampton, Canada from 5 to 1 ...

where she recorded eight goals and four assists in seven games. During the championship game she recorded a hat trick to help lead USA to a gold medal. With 12 points during the tournament, she became the first player in

history to surpass 100 career points. The win also gave Knight nine career gold medals, tying

Danielle Goyette Danielle Goyette (born January 30, 1966) is a Canadian former ice hockey player who played on the Canada women's national ice hockey team. In 2013, she was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame. In 2017, she was inducted into the Hockey Hall of F ...

for most all time. It was also her 13th career medal, tying

Hayley Wickenheiser Hayley Wickenheiser (born August 12, 1978) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, physician and assistant general manager for the Toronto Maple Leafs. She was the first woman to play full-time professional men’s hockey in a position other ...

for the most medals all time.

Olympics

Knight has participated in the

2010 Winter Olympics The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Vancouver 2010 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with ...

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, the

2014 Winter Olympics The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXII Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Sochi 2014 (), were an international winter multi-sport event that was held from 7 to 23 February 2014 in Sochi, Russia. Opening ro ...

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from – ''seaside'') is the largest Resort town, resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi (river), Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Souther ...

, the

Pyeongchang Pyeongchang ( , ; in full, ''Pyeongchang-gun'' ) is a county in the province of Gangwon-do, South Korea, located in the Taebaek Mountains region. It is home to several Buddhist temples, including Woljeongsa. It is about east southeast of Seo ...

, and the

2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), were an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beijing, China, and surrounding areas wit ...

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

. She took a year (2009–2010) off from studying at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

to join

Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

. She was the youngest member of either the men's or women's teams, at 20 years, 217 days of age. She had 7 assists and 1 goal, with the lone goal coming against

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. She finished the Olympics with 8 points and earned a silver medal. In 2014, Knight was tied for the Team USA lead in points with 6 and scored the team's first goal of the tournament. She was named to the Media All-Star team after the end of the Games. She finished the tournament with 3 goals and 3 assists for 6 points and earned a silver medal. In 2018, Knight scored Team USA's first goal in the final game and earned a gold medal. On January 2, 2022, Knight was named to

's roster to represent the United States at the

Personal life

Knight is a member of the

queer community The LGBTQ community (also known as the LGBT, LGBT+, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIA+, or queer community) comprises LGBTQ individuals united by a common culture and social movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individua ...

. Knight and USA speed skater

Brittany Bowe Brittany Starr Bowe (born February 24, 1988) is an American speed skater and former inline skater and basketball player. She has won eight gold, one silver, and two bronze medals from the world inline speedskating championships. From her junior ...

began dating in December 2022. In addition to her playing career, Knight has had various leadership roles within women's hockey. After the founding of the

(PWHL) in 2023, she was named to the executive committee of the league's labor union, the

PWHL Players Association The Professional Women's Hockey League Players Association (PWHLPA) is the labor union for the group of professional hockey players under contract with member teams of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). The Association serves as PWH ...

; she was voted the union's player representative for PWHL Boston.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Career highs

* Most goals in one game: 5; vs. Quinnipiac (September 27, 2008) * Most assists in one game: 5; vs. St. Cloud State (February 11, 2012) * Most points in one game: 6; vs. St. Cloud State (February 11, 2012) * Longest point-scoring streak: 20 consecutive games; (December 10, 2010, to February 26, 2011) * Career multi-point games: 63

Awards and honors

* The city of Sun Valley, Idaho, declared May 19, 2011, as Hilary Knight Day.

IIHF

* 2023

* 2019 IIHF World Women's Championship Tournament scoring leader and All-star team * 2016 IIHF World Women’s Championship Tournament MVP, scoring leader, Best Forward, and All-star team * 2015 IIHF World Women's Championship Tournament MVP, scoring leader, Best Forward, and All-star team * 2011 IIHF World Women's Championship Tournament scoring leader and All-star team

NCAA

* 2009 RBK Hockey/AHCA Division I first-team All-American * 2009 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award top 10 finalist * 2009 WCHA Player of the Year * 2009 Frozen Four All-Tournament team * 2011 Frozen Four All-Tournament team * 2011 NCAA Tournament MVP * 2008 WCHA All-Rookie Team * WCHA Offensive Player of the Week (Week of Oct.8, 2008) * WCHA Offensive Player of the Week (Week of November 19, 2008) * WCHA Offensive Player of the Week (Week of October 5, 2010) * 2008–09 WCHA Preseason Rookie of the Year * WCHA Rookie of the Week honors (Week of January 7, 2009) * WCHA Rookie of the Week honors (Week of February 4, 2009) * 2010 WCHA Pre-Season Player of the Year * WCHA Offensive Player of the Week (Week of January 5, 2011) * WCHA Offensive Player of the Week (Week of January 19, 2011) * 2011 Patty Kazmaier Award Nominee * 2011 First Team All-America selection * WCHA Player of the Week (Week of December 14, 2011)

CWHL

*2013 CWHL Most Outstanding Player Award

NWHL

*2015–16 NWHL regular season scoring champion

PWHL

*2024–25 PWHL Points Leader

USA Hockey

* Media All-Star team,

* U.S. Olympic Committee's Athlete of the Month for April 2011 * U.S. Player of the Game, November 9, 2011, vs. Sweden,

2011 4 Nations Cup The 2011 4 Nations Cup was a women's ice hockey tournament that was held in Nyköping, Sweden. All matches were held at the Stora Hallen arena. The November 10 match between Canada and the US marked the 100th time since 1990 that the two countrie ...

* 2012 Jeff Sauer Award * 2014, 2022, 2025

Bob Allen Women's Player of the Year Award The Bob Allen Women's Player of the Year Award is given annually by USA Hockey to an outstanding American-born female ice hockey player. It was first presented in 1994. History In 2007, the name of the award was changed to honor the late Bob Alle ...

* Team USA Captain 2023-Present

References

External links

* *
Hilary Knight
at

Wisconsin Badgers The Wisconsin Badgers are the College athletics in the United States, athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I ...

Hilary Knight
at

USA Hockey USA Hockey is a national ice hockey organization in the United States. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee as the governing body for organized ice hockey in the United S ...

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Hilary 1989 births Living people American expatriate ice hockey players in Canada American women's ice hockey forwards Boston Blades players Boston Pride players Choate Rosemary Hall alumni Clarkson Cup champions Ice hockey players from California Ice hockey players at the 2010 Winter Olympics Ice hockey players at the 2014 Winter Olympics Ice hockey players at the 2018 Winter Olympics Ice hockey players at the 2022 Winter Olympics Isobel Cup champions Les Canadiennes de Montreal players LGBTQ ice hockey players Medalists at the 2010 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 2014 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 2018 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 2022 Winter Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in ice hockey Olympic silver medalists for the United States in ice hockey Sportspeople from Palo Alto, California Wisconsin Badgers women's ice hockey players Professional Women's Hockey Players Association players Boston Fleet players 21st-century American sportswomen Sportspeople from Hanover, New Hampshire