The Montreal Victoire made five picks at the 2025 PWHL Draft on Tuesday night in Ottawa, and also made a major trade.
The team acquired forward Abby Roque from the New York Sirens in return for Kristin O’Neill and a fourth-round pick (28th overall).
Montreal general manager Danièle Sauvageau said that Roque brings grit and an element that the team was lacking, and that while it was tough to part with O’Neill, in order to get something in a trade, you do need to give something up.
First round, 4th overall: Nicole Gosling, D
Gosling was the consensus top player on the board when Montreal went on the clock and will fit in very well to a defence that lost Cayla Barnes and Anna Wilgren. They did add Jess DiGirolamo and Maggie Flaherty in free agency as well. Gosling arguably fits in better than Barnes did as she shoots left and offsets right-shot Erin Ambrose nicely.
She was the top scoring defender in Clarkson history, passing the mark set by Ambrose. Ambrose still holds the record on a per-game basis.
Second round, 12th overall: Natálie Mlýnková, F
Mlýnková was a first-round talent by many rankings, and it’s easy to see why. She is familiar with the Northeast, having played at the University of Vermont for four years before transferring to the University of Minnesota last season. The 24-year-old had 175 points in 134 career NCAA games, played in the 2022 Olympics for Czechia, and had four goals and two assists at the most recent World Championship.
She is a smaller forward, but does not hesitate to get into scoring areas and should slot in pretty easily into the team’s top six.
Third round, 20th overall: Skylar Irving, F
Irving comes from Northeastern University and the Massachusetts native had 99 points in 152 career NCAA games, but really took off in her last two years. In 76 games in her junior and senior years, she had 30 goals and 38 assists (68 points).
The 5’8″ forward says she models her play after Victoire Laura Stacey and likes to be a power forward. She also said her goal is to make opponents miserable.
Fifth round, 36th overall: Maya Labad, F
Mascouche native Maya Labad was the only Quebec-born player to be drafted and will be staying at home after four years at Quinnipiac University in the NCAA. Labad led the Bobcats with 15 goals last season and added 12 assists in 38 games.
Labad played at John Abbott College before heading to the NCAA and is looking forward to being back home. She represented Quebec at the Under-18 level.
Sixth round, 44th overall: Tamara Giaquinto, D
Giaquinto hopes to be the latest Boston University product to make an impact for a Montreal hockey team. She was the Hockey East Defender of the Year last season and had nine goals and nine assists in 38 games last season. She was also the Terriers’ captain last year.
