Montreal PWHL Roster Overview
Alright folks, it’s time: we are going over every PWHL roster and try to gain a bit of an idea of what you could expect to see from these teams. Today, we’re looking at Montreal, as we’re going alphabetical by city, and they’re third. In a previous article (which you can find just below this paragraph) you can see I wrote about each team’s initial free agency signings, so if you want to read about Montreal’s three signings, read about them there. In this article, I’ll give very brief biographies about each player, and then a general takeaway or two just looking at the broader roster. I don’t expect these articles to be too long, so let’s get into it.
Anyway, let’s start with the defenders:
Dominika Lásková: Having represented Czechia in international play since 2012, Dominika has been known for a long time now. In that decade plus of international play, she has one bronze medal at the World Junior Championships, and two bronze medals at the World Championships. She also played with Merrimack College for four seasons, and won the last Isobel Cup with the Toronto Six last season.
Erin Ambrose: Having played in college for four seasons with Clarkson University, Ambrose went pro for the 2016-17 season. She would play for the Toronto Furies in the CWHL, before going over to the Montréal Canadiennes for their last two seasons. After that, she would go to the PWHPA, which is where she would play until this season. Internationally, she has represented Canada since 2010. She has two gold medals with the U18 team, two at the World Championships, and one at the Olympics. She has one silver medal with the U18 team, and another at the World Championships. In addition to this, she has a bronze at the World Championships. In 2012, she was named the U18 “Best Defender” by the IIHF.
Kati Tabin: Coming off four seasons of college with Quinnipiac, Kati has two seasons of professional hockey experience. She was a rookie with the Connecticut Whale of the PHF, before joining the Toronto Six last season and winning the Isobel Cup.
Madison Bizal: This is her rookie season, coming off five years with Ohio State University, where she won one national championship. She has also represented the USA internationally once, in 2018, winning a medal with the U18 team at the World Junior Championships.
Maude Poulin-Labelle: This also Maude’s rookie season, having most recently played five seasons of college hockey. The first four seasons were with the University of Vermont, and her final season was with Northeastern.
Moving on to goaltenders:
Ann-Renee Desbiens: She was the first female to ever be drafted into the Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League (before getting cut because the coaches decided it wasn’t worth developing girls). After this, she played for the Montréal Stars in the CWHL for one season and would go on to play in the NCAA for the Wisconsin Badgers, where she has the record for most shutouts in a college career with 44. She also won the Patty Kazmaier Award as the best goaltender in college. After college, she would appear in one game for the Fond du Lac Bears in the Great Lakes Hockey League (a semi-pro men’s league) and played in the PWHPA as well. In international play, she has one two gold medals with Team Canada along with two silvers, and then one silver medal for the U18 team.
Elaine Chuli: Having played four seasons in college with the University of Connecticut, Elaine went pro in 2017, playing for the Vanke Rays of the CWHL. She would play with them for one season before moving over to the Toronto Furies, and then the PWHPA the season after that. After one season in the PWHPA, she would go to the PHF and became the starting goaltender for the Toronto Six until the league was bought out. Internationally, she has represented Canada once, in 2012, at the World Junior Championships, where she won a gold medal.
And finally, the forwards:
Ann-Sophie Bettez: Starting with five seasons in college, she played for McGill University. She won a championship with them. After that, she would play for the Montreal team in the CWHL for the next seven seasons, until the league folded. Then, she would go over to the PWHPA for three seasons, before joining the Montreal Force of the PHF. Internationally, she has represented Canada once, winning a bronze medal in 2019.
Claire Dalton: This will be her rookie season, coming off five years in college, playing all for Yale. She has represented Canada once internationally, winning a bronze in the World Junior Championships in 2018.
Gabrielle David: Like Claire, this is Gabrielle’s rookie season as well. She played four seasons for Clarkson University. Internationally, she has represented Canada once, winning a silver medal at the 2017 World Junior Championships.
Jillian Dempsey: Having played four seasons with Harvard, Jillian went pro in 2013. She would be drafted by the Boston Blades in the CWHL, and win a championship with them that season, before joining the NWHL (later known as the PHF) as a member of the Boston Pride for their inaugural season. She would play with the Pride for their entire existence, winning three Isobel Cups and being named league MVP for the 2019-20 season. Internationally, she has represented the USA twice, winning a gold medal with the U18 team, and a silver at the World Championships.
Kennedy Marchment: She played four seasons with St. Lawrence University before going overseas to play professional hockey. For three seasons, she would play in the SDHL, first for Linköping HC and the last two seasons for HV71. In 2021, she moved back to the states to play for the Connecticut Whale of the PHF.
Kristin O'Neill: She played for four seasons with Cornell University before going pro in 2020 to play in the PWHPA. Internationally, she has won two gold medals at the World Championships, and two silver medals with the U18 team for Canada.
Laura Stacey: In college, she played for Dartmouth and was team captain in her senior year. When it comes to club play, she has played in only three seasons: two with the Thunder in the CWHL (with whom she won the Clarkson Cup) and then played in the PWHPA. Internationally, she has four gold medals with Team Canada, and seven silver medals. One of those golds was with the U18 team, another with the U22 team, and one of the silver medals was with the U18 team.
Marie-Philip Poulin: She is often regarded as the greatest female hockey player of all-time. She’s scored the game-winning goal in 3 out of 4 Olympics she’s participated in (and a GWG at the 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship). In addition to this, she has served as team captain for Team Canada since 2015. In international play, she has six gold medals, 10 silver medals, and 1 bronze medal. When it comes to club play, she played 7 years in the CWHL (all seven with a Montreal team) and played three seasons in the PWHPA. In college, she played for Boston University.
Maureen Murphy: This will be Maureen’s first year professionally, as she has most recently played six years of college hockey. The first three years were with Providence, and the last three with Northeastern. Internationally, she has represented the USA once, winning a gold medal with the U18 team.
Tereza Vanišová: Having first come to the states to play in college with the University of Maine, Tereza won three straight championships in the PHF. From 2021-23, she was on the Isobel Cup winning team, the first two with Boston, and the last with Toronto. In addition to the PHF, she did play in the SDHL, playing for Leksands IF. Internationally, she has been representing Czechia since 2011, winning two bronze medals (one with the U18 team, and one at the World Championships).
Note: there are players they signed in the second free agency period, but since only a few will be making the roster, I’m not going to give biographies for any of them. I’m only doing so for their draft picks and initial three free-agency signings, since it’s expected all of them will be on the roster.
So, taking a step back, what are my thoughts on this roster in general? This might be the most interesting roster. It’s a veteran heavy roster, but with some young talent, including some straight out of the NCAA. But, what many of the players have in common is high hockey IQ. This team may be the most strategic, most tactical on the ice. These are players who can read plays before they happen, consistently make the correct decision on what to do with the puck, how to position their body, etc. You’re not likely to see too many mistakes made by this team. They’ll play smart, but with style. Playing with few mistakes and keeping a step or two ahead of the other teams is likely to be this team’s identity.
If you want to follow me on social media, find me on Bluesky, Instagram, Mastodon, Threads, and Twitter. You can also find Vibes Based Hockey on Instagram and Tumblr.