BOSTON — Forward Hilary Knight, goaltender Aerin Frankel and defender Megan Keller have signed three-year contracts with the Boston franchise of the Professional Women's Hockey League.

The trio helped the United States win gold at the IIHF world women's championship last April in Brampton, Ont.

Knight scored a hat trick in a 6-3 victory over Canada in the final.

The PWHL player selection process opened Sept. 1 with an initial free agency period continuing through Sunday.

Salary figures were not disclosed, but the PWHL's annual salaries will range from US$35,000 to $80,000.

The league opens its inaugural season in January with teams in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Boston, Minneapolis-St. Paul and New York.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 7, 2023.