Fifteen additional players are a step closer to joining the Montreal PWHL team after the league’s first draft was held on Monday in Toronto.
The players drafted will now negotiate contracts with their teams, and the teams will hold their rights for two years if they remain unsigned.
All undrafted players can now be invited to training camp or signed to contracts. Teams must invite at least 28 players to their camps, which are expected to begin in November.
Pick #6: RD Erin Ambrose, 29
Ambrose was one of the best right defenders available, and is outstanding on the power play. She was the Defenceman of the Year in the final season of the CWHL in 2018-19, and used that season to jump back into the top of Canada’s depth chart. She had two goals and three assists in 16 PWHPA games last season.
Pick #7 F Kristin O’Neill, 25
O’Neill is a rising star on Canada’s national team. She has played mostly a depth role on the national team but had a breakout season with Team Adidas in the PWHPA last season. She had nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points in 20 games, tied for fourth in scoring with her Montreal and Team Adidas teammate Laura Stacey. Over the weekend, she assisted on two of Stacey’s three goals in a Team Canada scrimmage.
Pick #18 F Maureen Murphy, 23
Murphy was the lesser-known of her three linemates alongside Alina Müller and Chloe Aurard but she put up great numbers after transferring to Northeastern. In 2021-22, with Müller missing part of the season for the Olympics, she led the team in scoring.
Pick #19 RD Dominiká Lasková, 26
Lasková was the first player from the PHF off the board, which surprised some people. Her production doesn’t jump off the page, but she has been a solid defender in the PHF and for Czechia. She has also played forward at times. She has a contract with Luleå in the Swedish women’s hockey league and will return to Sweden for a couple of months before returning to North America for training camp. She has an out clause in her contract.
Pick #30 LD Kati Tabin, 26
Tabin played with Lasková with Toronto, who won the PHF’s Isobel Cup last year. Tabin’s four goals and 14 assists in 24 games led all PHF defenders last season.
Pick #31 F Kennedy Marchment, 26
Marchment has been one of the best scorers in the PHF over the last two seasons. She was the league MVP in the 2021-22 season and won the league scoring title. Last year she finished second in PHF scoring.
Pick #42 F Tereza Vanisova, 27
Vanisova is another Czech player, and another player who won the title with the Toronto Six last season in the PHF. In fact, Vanisova scored the winning goal in overtime. She has played with Lasková since she was 13 years old and brings offence to Montreal. She had five goals and nine assists in 20 PHF games last season.
Pick #43 LD Madison Bizal, 23
Bizal is the first player Montreal took without professional experience as she was drafted from Ohio State in the NCAA. She was second among defenders in team scoring last year.
Pick #54 C Gabrielle David, 24
David is from Drummondville, Quebec and just graduated from Clarkson University. She was at Team Canada’s Fall camp that ended over the weekend. She was tied for the team-lead in scoring with Anne Cherkowski last season.
Pick #55 LD Maude Poulin-Labelle, 23
Poulin-Labelle is from Sherbrooke as this is where Montreal started to load up on young local talent. After three years at Vermont, she transferred to Northeastern where she was a teammate of Murphy’s. She will be a young up-and-comer on the Montreal blue line.
Pick #66 F Jillian Dempsey, 32
Dempsey has been synonymous with Boston women’s hockey for her entire pro career that started in 2012 in the CWHL. She played college hockey at Harvard, and was born in Massachusetts. She is still playing at a high level, finishing third in PHF scoring last season while also teaching fifth grade.
Pick #67 F Claire Dalton, 23
Dalton is a very intriguing prospect. The Yale product represented Canada at the U-18 level, and has put up big scoring numbers in the NCAA.
Pick #78 G Elaine Chuli, 29
Chuli backstopped the Toronto Six to the Isobel Cup last season, with a 2.20 goals against average and .920 save percentage in four playoff games. She has a lot of CWHL experience and will bring that to the backup role behind Ann-Renée Desbiens.
Pick #79 F Ann-Sophie Bettez, 35
What is there to say about Bettez. She was the captain of the PHF’s Montreal Force last season and has been a mainstay in Montreal women’s hockey. She was the second-oldest player in the draft which is why she had to wait this long to be selected. She finished second in team scoring last year.
Pick #90 F Lina Ljungblom, 21
From one of the oldest players to one of the youngest. Ljungblom is signed with MoDo in Sweden, but is expected to come over for training camp. She burst on the scene at the World Championships, scoring seven goals for Sweden.
