The Professional Women’s Hockey League will soon begin the second season in its history. After a quick elimination last spring, Victoire de Montréal (finally) takes back control this Thursday, as the club’s training camp opens. Four questions to understand the main issues.
Published at 6:00 a.m.
Will the team look like last year?
Most likely. Among the 31 players invited to training camp, 19 played in Montreal during the inaugural season. If, as one might suspect, most land a position, they will make up the bulk of the squad of 23 athletes selected for the 2024-2025 season.
The safe values are already known. On offense, Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey, Kristin O’Neill and Maureen Murphy will once again lead the charge, supported on defense by top 4 who played almost all the minutes in the playoffs – Erin Ambrose, Amanda Boulier, Kati Tabin and Mariah Keopple. In front of the net, the duo of Ann-Renée Desbiens and Elaine Chuli will be back.
In supporting roles, Catherine Dubois, Claire Dalton, Mikyla Grant-Mentis, Kennedy Marchment and Dominika Laskova, all Season 1 cast members, arrive at camp with a contract in hand, while Gabrielle David, Sarah Bujold, Catherine Daoust as well as goalkeeper Marlène Boissonnault will wish to sign a new agreement in the coming days.
Who will be missing?
The most notable absence would have to be Cayla Barnes. The 25-year-old American defender, two-time Olympian, was the first round pick (5e rank) of Victory in the draft last spring and she quickly signed a three-year contract. She was shaping up to be one of the headliners of the camp, within a club that desperately needed reinforcement in defense.
PHOTO FROM CAYLA BARNES’ INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT
Cayla Barnes
However, it would not be surprising if it took several days, or even several weeks, before we saw the Californian in action. Last week, during the first game of the Rivalry Series between Canada and the United States, she fell heavily against the boards after contact with her rival Marie-Philip Poulin, who will be her teammate in Montreal. Hit in the right leg or ankle, she remained lying on the ice rink for a long time before painfully leaving the playing area.
She missed the next two national team matches, and although no information on the nature of her injury has been released since, it would be surprising if she was back on skates this Thursday.
Which recruits to follow?
With 11 attackers, 6 defenders and 2 goalkeepers already on contract, the newcomers will have their work cut out for them to carve out a position. Barnes’ injury could open up a spot on defense, if only temporarily. At this position, we will follow Anna Kjellbin and Anna Wilgren, both drafted last June, but also Kelly-Ann Nadeau, a former Université de Montréal Carabins who was one of the best university players in the country this season. last.
In attack, Lina Ljungblom and Abigail Boreen, both under contract, will receive priority attention.
Ljungblom, a Swede aged just 23, finished third among scorers in her native country’s main league last season. Drafted by Montreal in 2023, she waited before making the jump to North America. The three-year agreement she was given during the summer demonstrates the enthusiasm she arouses within management.
As for Boreen, he’s a rookie who isn’t one. Although she played nine games in the season and five more in the playoffs with the Minnesota Frost last season, she had to register for the 2024 draft since she started the 2023-2024 campaign as a reserve player. La Victoire was then happy to select it. There was uncertainty over whether she would attend the camp since she is still studying in Minnesota, but she found a solution and came to terms with the club a few weeks ago.
What to expect from the next few days?
Officially, camp started on Tuesday, but the players and support staff will take the ice this Thursday at the Verdun Auditorium. At the end of the first week of work, the Victory will play two preparatory matches, against the Boston Fleet, on November 20, then against the Ottawa Charge, the day after. Even if these clashes will be presented in Verdun, they will not be open to the public and will not be broadcast.
Each organization will then have to finalize its squad of 23 active players and 3 reserves on November 27. The 2024-2025 season will begin in earnest on Saturday, November 30, when the Victoire will host the Ottawa Charge at Place Bell, the new home of the Montreal club.
