Montreal's Marie-Philip Poulin is pictured during PWHL hockey action against Toronto in Toronto on Friday, March 8, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

MONTREAL - Marie-Philip Poulin’s trophy chest is brimming with awards and medals, but there’s one big piece missing now that the Professional Women's Hockey League is established.

Aware she’s in the later stages of her career, the Montreal Victoire captain is fired up for PWHL championship glory after an early playoff exit in the inaugural season.

“The fire is quite there,” the 33-year-old Poulin said Friday at Verdun Auditorium. “I still love what I'm doing, I'm passionate.

“We want to win that Walter Cup. And me saying that means five other teams are saying that. It shows it's going to be competitive, it's going to be a battle.”

Poulin, who tied for second in scoring last season with 23 points in 21 games, knows she'll have more than one role to play if Montreal is to hoist the Cup.

“I need to produce, I need to be on the defensive side, but also help the young kids coming in, being by their side to know what they want,” she said.

Poulin isn’t counting the years left in her career, but also isn’t taking any for granted because “sometimes I think about how there are less in front of me.”

The three-time Olympic gold medallist leads the Victoire into the PWHL’s second season against the Ottawa Charge on Saturday at Place Bell in Laval, Que., where they’ll debut their new name, logo and jerseys for the 30-game campaign.

Poulin headlines a talented core that includes forward Laura Stacey — who married Poulin this fall — reigning PWHL defender of the year Erin Ambrose and Canadian national team goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens.

The question surrounding this team is whether or not the Victoire have enough depth behind them.

Ambrose famously logged 61 minutes 33 seconds of ice time in a triple-overtime loss to Boston while players deeper down the lineup barely touched the surface. But she's confident those concerns will be a thing of the past.

"I don't even know how to express the confidence in it, because there's zero doubt that it's anything but confidence,” she said.

The Victoire drafted U.S. standout Cayla Barnes to bolster their defence, an overall weakness last season.

Barnes was expected to miss the beginning of the season with a lower-body injury, but skated in her first full practice without a non-contact jersey on Friday. Head coach Kori Chevere said it’s “a possibility” she plays Saturday.

Montreal also added Swedish national team captain Anna Kjellbin to the blue line.

On offence, sharpshooting Swedish league MVP Lina Ljungblom will join Poulin and Stacey on the top line. Second-round pick Jennifer Gardiner, a 23-year-old on the brink of Canada’s roster, and Walter Cup winner Abigail Boreen also join the fold.

Ambrose said the Victoire’s talent across the lineup especially stood out when she watched Montreal’s pre-season game against Ottawa from the stands last week.

“I was seeing different lines come over the boards, and I was just like, ‘Hm, that's quite difficult to defend. Hm, this line brings this’ and it's like every line that we have so far’s got some sort of identity,” she said. “It's tough as an opposing team to see those lines come over and to be like, ‘OK, snap. … This is not going to be easy.’”

Montreal’s goalie tandem is also among the best in the league with Elaine Chuli, who led the league with a .949 save percentage in eight games last season, backing up Desbiens. Germany’s Sandra Abstreiter is the third-stringer.

While Barnes nears a return, defender Dominika Laskova and forward Kennedy Marchment will begin the season on long-term injured reserve, something Cheverie believes the Victoire can withstand for now.

"I'm very happy with where our team is,” Cheverie said. “We want to be aggressive, we want to be physical, we want to be fast. We want to be able to put pucks in the back of the net, and we want to be relentless."

ROSTER CHANGES

Additions: Jennifer Gardiner (F), Alexandra Labelle (F), Dara Greig (F), Abigail Boreen (F), Lina Ljungblom (F), Clair DeGeorge (F), Cayla Barnes (D), Anna Wilgren (D), Anna Kjellbin (D), Kelly-Ann Nadeau (D), Sandra Abstreiter (G)

Departures: Jillian Dempsey (F), Leah Lum (F), Sarah Lefort (F), Alexandra Poznikoff (F), Ann-Sophie Bettez (F), Melodie Daoust (F), Sarah Bujold (F), Madison Bizal (D), Brigitte Laganiere (D), Marlene Boissonnault (G)

GAMES TO WATCH

The 10,000-seat Place Bell will be the Victoire’s home after the smaller Verdun Auditorium served as the primary arena last season. Montreal will also likely host a game at the Bell Centre, where a women’s hockey attendance record was set last season, but a date hasn’t been officially announced.

The Victoire also play four games on the “Takeover Tour” as the PWHL eyes expansion next season: Jan. 5 in Seattle against Boston, Jan. 8 in Vancouver against Toronto, Jan. 12 in Denver against Minnesota and Jan. 19 in Quebec City against Ottawa

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 29, 2024.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2024