On January 2, Montreal’s PWHL team will play their inaugural game in Ottawa at TD Place Arena. The game is a sell out, and will set a North American women’s hockey regular season attendance record with over 8,000 fans.
We will get to know Montreal’s roster so you have an idea of what to expect when you tune into the first game, which will be available to stream on the PWHL’s YouTube channel, TSN 1, 4, and 5, RDS2, and TSN+. The game starts at 7:00 p.m. and with the Montreal Canadiens game starting at 8pm in Dallas, you can check out the first period before making the switch (or not).
This will be part two where we will look at the forwards. Part one looked at the defence and goaltenders and can be found here.
Forwards
#24 Ann-Sophie Bettez
Shoots: Left
Age: 36
Contract: One year
Acquired: Draft (14-79)
Birthplace: Sept-Îles, QC, CAN
Last year: Montreal Force (PHF)
College: McGill
Bettez really needs no introduction. She has played her entire professional career in Montreal, and has also played her college and CEGEP hockey in the city. All Bettez does is put up points. At every level. She is the second-oldest player in the entire league (just a few months behind Gigi Marvin) but she will be expected to lead by example on this team. She was still a point-per-game player last year in the PHF. She’s no longer in her prime, but she’ll be a key member of the team’s middle-six lines.
#26 Sarah Bujold
Shoots: Left
Age: 27
Contract: One year
Acquired: Free Agent
Birthplace: Riverview, NB, CAN
Last year: Metropolitan Riveters (PHF)
College: St. Francis Xavier
Bujold is a sneaky depth addition to what is already a deep forward group. She signed her contract before training camp as a free agent invite. She has experience playing in Sweden, and had 10 goals and 10 assists in 23 PHF games last season. She will likely be a bottom-six player on the team with the ability to kill penalties and play up in the lineup if needed. She’s a type of player that every successful team needs.
#42 Claire Dalton
Shoots: Right
Age: 23
Contract: One year
Acquired: Draft (12-67)
Birthplace: Etobicoke, ON, CAN
Last year: Yale University (NCAA)
College: Yale
Dalton is the youngest forward on the roster, and comes straight from the NCAA. She is one of three forwards to have not yet played professional hockey. Dalton has represented Canada at the U-18 level in 2018. She has been a solid scorer at the NCAA level and will have an opportunity to grow into a bigger role on this team. She will likely start in the bottom six with more experienced players and will be someone to watch how they develop as the season goes.
#8 Gabrielle David
Shoots: Right
Age: 24
Contract: One year
Acquired: Draft (9-54)
Birthplace: Drummondville, QC, CAN
Last year: Clarkson (NCAA)
College: Clarkson
David is one of the highest upside players on the roster. She finished 10th in NCAA scoring last season and has already impressed people at camp, with Erin Ambrose saying that she’s someone who can really become a fan favourite. She finished over a point-per-game all four of her NCAA seasons at Clarkson. Like Dalton she will likely start lower in the lineup and have an opportunity to develop into a bigger role.
#14 Jillian Dempsey
Shoots: Left
Age: 32
Contract: One year
Acquired: Draft (11-66)
Birthplace: Winthrop, MA, USA
Last year: Boston Pride (PHF)
College: Harvard
Dempsey is the all-time leading scorer in PHF history, and was one of the league’s biggest stars. She has represented Boston women’s hockey for 10 years and it will be weird for everyone to see her in a different city’s jersey. She finished third in PHF scoring last year so she is still scoring at a high pace. She won’t be asked to play top minutes on this Montreal team but she will be a key contributor in the middle-six and have a spot on the second power play unit.
#16 Sarah Lefort
Shoots: Left
Age: 29
Contract: Undisclosed
Acquired: Free Agent
Birthplace: Ormstown, QC, CAN
Last year: Montreal Force (PHF)
College: Boston University
Lefort, like Bettez, has represented Montreal women’s hockey for a while starting with the Canadiennes and ending with the Force. Her claim to fame is her shot. She is always a threat to score because of that alone. She had a great NCAA career at Boston University. How good? When Victoria Bach became Boston University’s top scorer she didn’t beat Marie-Philip Poulin’s records. She beat Sarah Lefort’s. He role in the PWHL will be smaller, and she will likely be a bottom-six players but can provide some sneaky offence in that kind of matchup.
#22 Kennedy Marchment
Shoots: Right
Age: 27
Contract: Two years
Acquired: Draft (6-31)
Birthplace: Courtice, ON, CAN
Last year: Connecticut Whale (PHF)
College: St. Lawrence University
Marchment is one of the top scorers in professional women’s hockey. She had 17 goals and 18 assists in 24 games last year in the PHF, good for second in the league. In 2021-22, she was the PHF MVP. She will be a key contributor in the middle-six to start, but play on the power play and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see her play on the top line at some point. If she’s on your third line, it’s because your forward group is really good. She’s a player who can really turn heads now that she will be playing in a best-on-best league.
#15 Maureen Murphy
Shoots: Right
Age: 24
Contract: Three years
Acquired: Draft (3-19)
Birthplace: Buffalo, NY, USA
Last year: Northeastern University (USA)
College: Northeastern
Most of the talent on this Montreal team is established talent. The exception may be someone like Murphy. She had a great NCAA career, where she played on a line with Alina Müller and Chloé Aurard, two fellow rookies this year in the PHF. Montreal hockey teams have a lot of talent from Northeastern, and Murphy will look to add her name to that group. In practices, it’s clear she has a ton of offensive talent. She will start the year with Marie-Philip Poulin and Tereza Vanišova on the team’s top line and power play unit.
#43 Kristin O’Neill
Shoots: Left
Age: 25
Contract: Three years
Acquired: Draft (2-7)
Birthplace: Oakville, ON, CAN
Last year: Team Adidas (PWHPA)
College: Cornell
If you have watched Canada’s national team over the last few years, you have likely seen O’Neill, who has established herself at that level. At the most recent rivalry series games, she has been Canada’s third centre on a line with Laura Stacey and Emily Clark, with Blayre Turnbull having moved up to Poulin’s line. That’s a huge vote of confidence, and a sign of what Montreal has in the talented forward. Last year, she played on a line with Stacey and finished with 21 points in 20 games, tied for fourth in PWHPA scoring. She will start the year as Montreal’s #2 centre, and top penalty killing unit.
Her calling card is her speed and she may be the fastest skater on the team.
#29 Marie-Philip Poulin
Shoots: Left
Age: 32
Contract: Three years
Acquired: Foundational signing
Birthplace: Beauceville, QC, CAN
Last year: Team Harvey’s (PWHPA)
College: Boston University
Seriously?
I mean, what is there to be said? The best player in women’s hockey. She is the only player, male or female, to score in four Olympic gold medal games. She is the team’s captain, and top centre. If you’ve never seen her play hockey, I’m jealous, because you only get to see her for the first time once.
#7 Laura Stacey
Shoots: Right
Age: 29
Contract: Three years
Acquired: Foundational signing
Birthplace: Mississauga, ON, CAN
Last year: Team Adidas (PWHPA)
College: Dartmouth
Stacey has established herself as one of the top forwards in women’s hockey. She was fourth in PWHPA scoring (tied with her linemate this year and last O’Neill). Her speed and size combination makes her one of the most dangerous players. She will start on the team’s second line, but will play on the top power play and be relied on shorthanded as well. The PWHL will really be her chance to shine in a bigger role she gets at the national team level.
#21 Tereza Vanišova
Shoots: Left
Age: 27
Contract: Two years
Acquired: Draft (7-42)
Birthplace: Strakonice, CZE
Last year: Toronto Six (PHF)
College: Maine
Vanišova is a player who has always had talent, but has flown under the radar. That might stop now that she will start the season on Marie-Philip Poulin’s wing. She will also play on the top power play unit, and is a player who will add offence on any line she plays on. She scored the overtime goal in last year’s Isobel Cup final for the Toronto Six. She is a two-time World Championships bronze medalist with the Czech national team.
