Eight time world champion and Olympic gold medalist Kacey Bellamy has signed with the PHF's Connecticut Whale.

Kacey Bellamy contemplated a comeback in January. Thursday, she made it official.

The highly decorated, veteran defender has signed with the PHF's Connecticut Whale, returning to the ice after a two-year hiatus. Bellamy's contract will pay her $122,000 this season, along with a $7000 signing bonus.

“I had the benefit of watching each PHF team in depth this year within my scouting role, and I believe Connecticut has all the pieces in place to win an Isobel Cup,” Bellamy said in a Whale news release. “I want to thank them for giving me the opportunity to come back to the game I love and have missed, and I am excited to meet the team and start building toward winning a championship together. Stepping away from the game brought me a new perspective, and I was able to see life in a different light.”

For the Whale, Bellamy fills a void among team leadership and on the blueline following the retirement of captain Shannon Turner. Bellamy also brings a winning pedigree to Connecticut, the only team yet to win an Isobel Cup since the league's formation in 2015.

The 35-year-old Bellamy is among the United States' most decorated players, having won eight gold medals — including one at the 2018 Olympics — and three silvers. She appeared in a record 130 games among defenders with Team USA, notching 11 goals and 38 assists. Bellamy served as an alternate captain for the U.S. at seven world championships and the 2018 Olympics.

A member of the 2020 and 2021 teams, she shocked USA Hockey by retiring in May 2021 after the postponement of the Women's World Championship. Bellamy was projected to be among the players named to the 2022 U.S. Olympic squad which went on to win silver in Beijing.

A year later, Bellamy joined the PHF as its player relations liaison. Her responsibilities included providing the league with information about PHF and NCAA player pools, and building relationships with NCAA and USports programs.

A little more than six months into the role, though, Bellamy hinted at a possible return.

When asked by broadcaster Erica L. Ayala at a panel discussion during the PHF's All-Star Weekend whether fans would see her "sign up for next season," Bellamy responded, "To be honest, it's crossed my mind. I'm not going to lie, it's crossed my mind.

"I am someone who wears my heart on my sleeve. I don't want to look back when I'm 40 and say I regret not going back," Bellamy added. "If I was to do it I would have to make that decision and put 100 percent into it.

"I'm really proud to be a part of this league and I think that's the biggest thing. The leadership and what has happened in the last six, seven months, it's incredible. I just feel like if you're not going to jump on board then it's the wrong decision."

After a prolific college career at the University of New Hampshire, Bellamy skated with the CWHL’s Boston Blades from 2010-2015. She posted 10 goals and 37 assists in 90 games and won a Clarkson Cup in 2013.

The Westfield, Massachusetts native shifted to the Boston Pride for the NWHL's inaugural season in 2015, capturing an Isobel Cup that year. The defender accumulated 23 points (five goals, 18 assists) in career 30 games across two seasons.

Bellamy experienced her best professional season in 2018-19 with the CWHL's Calgary Inferno, winning her second Clarkson Cup and posting career highs across the board (6-15--21).

When the CWHL folded in May 2019, Bellamy joined the PWHPA and spent two seasons participating in the Dream Gap Tour.