Abby Roque has found the perfect spot alongside Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey on the Montreal Victoire's top line. Next up for the dual citizenship forward could be joining Poulin and Stacey with Team Canada.
For the past three seasons, the Montreal Victoire has been trying to find the right teammate for Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey. Simultaneously, Team Canada has been doing the same thing.
Both in Montreal and on the Canadian national team, Lina Ljungblom, Jennifer Gardiner, Brianne Jenner, Daryl Watts, and Emma Maltais have all been placed to the left of the superstar duo, with varying levels of success.
We can stop looking. The perfect fit to Poulin and Stacey goes by the name Abby Roque. Both in Montreal… and with Team Canada!
Let me explain.
In Montreal, it’s obvious. Since the start of the season, Roque has been patrolling the left side, with Poulin in the centre and Stacey on the right. And the results are incredible!
Including yesterday’s game, in which she earned two points, Roque now has four goals and six assists in nine games. At this pace, she could match the total from her first two seasons. Indeed, Roque scored 30 points in 54 games in New York, while she could total 33 points with Montreal in just 30 games.
A Sidney Crosby Type of Goal
Roque, who is on a five-game scoring streak, had three of her four goals assisted by Poulin. And of the six assists she has accumulated, four were on goals by the Montreal captain. The 28-year-old athlete ranks fifth among the top scorers in the PWHL. Poulin is second with 11 points, while Stacey is 13th with seven. At the moment, this is the best line in the league, by far. If it is usually Marie-Philip Poulin who gets compared to Sidney Crosby, it was Roque who received that comparison yesterday after her game-tying goal with less than 30 seconds left in the third period, which head coach Kori Cheverie described as "a Sidney Crosby type of goal," adding that “not many women can do that.”
In the press box, discussions were in full swing during the game about who had the better hands, Poulin or Roque. That says it all!The chemistry between the two is so good that it makes you wonder if it’s even stronger than the one between Poulin and Stacey. Which is not a problem at all! They are two players—three if you include Stacey—who have a high hockey IQ.
Abby Roque with Team Canada?
Which brings me to talk about Team Canada. Because we know Abby Roque for her achievements with the American team, with whom she won a silver medal at the 2022 Olympic Games, then two more at the World Championships, as well as a gold medal at the 2023 Worlds, her last international appearance with Team USA. What people don’t know is that Abby Roque has dual citizenship. To be honest, I didn’t know either until a colleague mentioned it to me yesterday after Montreal’s 3-2 overtime win. Abby’s father, Jim, who was a coach for a long time and is now a scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs, was born in Ontario. According to Canadian law, even though Abby was born in the state of Michigan, she is automatically a Canadian citizen by her birthdate and through her father’s citizenship.
Then, according to the rules of the International Ice Hockey Federation, a player who has already represented one country in an international competition (United States) and wishes to represent another (Canada) must have played in a league based in Canada for at least two years, which is the case for her with the PWHL, and must have received approval for her transfer at least two years before the competition she wants to play in. By applying for citizenship today, Roque could therefore be available for Team Canada…in 2028! I know, I know! Not in time for the Milan-Cortina Olympics. Not even in time for the World Championships that will take place in Quebec City in November 2027. But hey, it’s the holiday season, right? The Three Wise Men haven’t shown up yet. With yesterday's game and the season she’s having alongside Poulin and Stacey, can you let me enjoy the holiday magic a little longer, please?
From My iPhone Notes
- In addition to scoring goals and being a great complement to Poulin and Stacey, Roque is also capable of playing physically. We saw this in the third period when she sent opposing goalie Maddie Rooney onto her backside. She spent the next two minutes in the penalty box, but that’s the kind of player she is!Poulin and Roque both dominate in the faceoff circle. Among players with at least 100 faceoffs this season, Poulin, who has 56 more than Roque, leads the league with 65% efficiency. Roque ranks 8th in this category.
- Before the game, Montreal made several changes to their lineup. As I suspected, forward Claire Vekich was released to make room for Lina Ljungblom, returning after missing the first eight games of the season due to mononucleosis. Maya Labad and Kelly-Ann Nadeau are now on the reserve list along with Tamara Giaquinto. However, the latter signed a 10-day contract yesterday to replace Erin Ambrose, who was ill.
- I don’t understand this blind love that Kori Cheverie has for Dara Greig. Greig was playing on the second line yesterday, a promotion, in addition to seeing her ice time significantly increase over the past two games. Twice she intercepted the puck on the penalty kill, allowing a zone exit, but otherwise, she made sloppy passes and slow zone entries. She remains the regular forward with the fewest shots on goal for the Victoire. After the game, Cheverie mentioned that Greig worked hard during the off-season and has a high hockey IQ. I just don’t see it, at least not yet, and I’m not the only one.
- It was the first sold-out arena at Place Bell this season for Montreal, with 10,172 spectators in attendance. Including the game at the Bell Centre, Montreal has the second-highest average attendance in the PWHL, behind Vancouver. New York is at the very bottom with an average of just 3,000 fans.