Carter Hart played his first professional hockey game in nearly two years Sunday night, starting for the Henderson Silver Knights against the Calgary Wranglers in the AHL.

Hart made 12 saves on 14 shots in a 5-2 victory.

• Watch the AHL all season with a FloHockey subscription
• Dustin Tokarski Returns To AHL On PTO
• Isaac Howard Assigned To AHL Bakersfield By Edmonton

Hart was signed by the Vegas Golden Knights in October after being reinstated by the NHL after being found not guilty of sexual assault charges stemming from an alleged incident in 2018. Hart and four of his teammates from the 2018 Canadian national junior team stood trial after being criminally charged in 2024 in London, Ont.

Playing for the Philadelphia Flyers at the time, Hart took a leave of absence from the team as the charges loomed. The Flyers chose not to re-sign Hart after his contract had expired during his absence.

Hart was the only one of the five players to stand trial that was signed to an NHL contract following the players being reinstated. The others including Dillon Dubé, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton and Michael McLeod, either have not played this season or are playing in Europe.

While the NHL is allowing the players to return, the league issued a statement explaining that they would not be eligible to play in the NHL until Dec. 1 as the league felt that while not criminal, the players' conduct "fell woefully short of the values and standards" that the NHL and its teams demand.

Hart was sent to Henderson on a conditioning loan by Vegas ahead of being eligible to play in his first NHL game.

Conditioning assignments can last as many as 14 days from the time the player is assigned. Henderson has four more games between now and when Hart's eligibility to return.

The 27-year-old Alberta native played in his first AHL game Sunday since the 2018-19 season when he appeared in just 18 games before being called up to the Philadelphia Flyers for good.

Sunday night marked his first AHL appearance since Jan. 26, 2019.

In Sunday's contest, the Silver Knights allowed just 14 shots against Hart all game. The Wranglers didn't manage to score until late in the third period. By that point, Henderson had already built up a big lead, scoring the games first four goals including a pair nine seconds apart from Lucas Johansen and Trevor Connelly, setting a franchise record for the fastest two goals. Jaycob Megna added a buzzer-beating shorthanded empty-netter to allow the Silver Knights to take the 5-2 lead.

Subscribe to an annual plan to watch the AHL, ECHL, OHL, QMJHL And More On FloHockey

More leagues, more teams, more action than anywhere else. FloHockey gives you access to the most live hockey anywhere, including leagues like the AHL, ECHL, OHL and QMJHL. Watch your team, follow top prospects, and stay on top of all the action. Subscribe to an annual plan now and get 7 months free.

Join The Hockey Conversation On FloHockey Social

• Follow us on Twitter @FloHockey
• Follow us on Instagram @flohockey
• Follow us on TikTok @flohockeytv
• Watch us on YouTube
• Like us on Facebook