From Olympic ice to a Walter Cup parade, the Oakbank defender capped a career-defining season by anchoring Montreal’s blueline during their dominant run to professional hockey's top prize.
The Walter Cup will be heading to Oakbank this summer.
Oakbank product Kati Tabin and the Montreal Victoire captured the franchise’s first PWHL championship Wednesday night, defeating the Ottawa Charge 4-0 in Game 4 of the Walter Cup Final.
For Tabin, the championship caps what has easily been the biggest season of her professional career.
Photo by David Kirouac/USA TodayThe 29-year-old defender played a key role on Montreal’s blueline throughout the 2025-26 campaign, providing steady defensive play while also taking another step offensively.
After recording eight points last season, Tabin elevated her production and became a more consistent contributor for a Victoire team that finished atop the PWHL standings.
Her ability to move pucks cleanly, defend difficult minutes and chip in offensively made her an important part of Montreal’s championship run. Tabin also delivered timely offence in the postseason, including a key goal during the Walter Cup Final series as the Victoire pushed past Ottawa to secure the title.
This season also featured another major milestone for the Winnipeg-area defender.
Earlier this winter, Tabin represented Canada women's national ice hockey team at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, making her Olympic debut on one of the biggest stages in hockey. The left-shot defender appeared in seven Olympic games for Canada after earning a spot on the national team roster in January.
Long before the Olympics and the Walter Cup, Tabin was one of the standout young players to come through the hockey community in Oakbank. Growing up, she played alongside current NHL forward Brett Howden (who is currently tearing up the Western Conference Final with nine goals) and several other talented Manitoba players during her minor hockey years, helping build the competitive foundation that would eventually carry her to the national team and now a professional championship.
From Oakbank to the Olympics and now a Walter Cup championship, Tabin’s 2025-26 season has firmly established her as one of Manitoba’s top hockey success stories. And now, she’ll bring the Walter Cup home.