Montreal PWHL general manager Danièle Sauvageau has named Kori Cheverie as the first head coach in the team’s history.
The news was made official on Friday and was first reported by Christine Roger of Radio-Canada.
Cheverie, 36, is a native of New Glasgow, Nova Scotia and is one of the rising stars in coaching. She was the first woman to be a full-time assistant coach with a men’s U Sports team when she was with Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan) from 2016-2021. She was also the first woman to be on the coaching staff of a Canadian men’s national team at the 2022 Under-18 tournament. She has been a assistant with the Canadian women’s team since 2020. Last season she was named PWHPA Coach of the Year coaching Team Harvey’s, winning the PWHPA championship.
Cheverie and Sauvageau have worked closely together. Sauvageau brought her to the Centre 21.02 to coach last season.
After the signings last week, Sauvageau wouldn’t say who she was hiring as the team’s head coach, but she did say what she was looking for.
“Someone that is passionate, knows about hockey and wants to be a part of building, that is key” Sauvageau said. “I want someone I can trust, someone we can build together, where we can disagree, we’ll agree, but we’ll stick together.”
Cheverie was with the Arizona Coyotes at development camp in 2022, and was invited to the Pittsburgh Penguins development camp this summer, as part of the National Hockey League Coaches’ Association Guest Coach Program. She was slated to help the team at training camp and throughout the season prior to the PWHL being announced and her taking this job.
Prior to coaching, Cheverie was a player herself. She played university hockey at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax before going to the CWHL with Toronto, where she played 152 games over six seasons, winning one Clarkson Cup.
