Audrey-Anne Veillette's story has often been told.

After playing two seasons with the Montreal Carabins, scoring 26 goals in 22 games in her second year, she signed a contract with the Montreal Force in the PHF in the spring of 2023. A few weeks later, the league was bought and ultimately shut down, making way for the PWHL. Veillette was injured over the summer, but was still drafted by Ottawa. After a season without playing, she took part in the team's training camp in the fall of 2024, was cut, and went to play in Sweden. Last fall, she participated in the Victoire training camp, but was also cut.

At a crossroads and wanting to find a way to get noticed while rumors suggested that four new teams would join the PWHL next season, her options were limited.

Europe wasn’t an experience she wanted to repeat, even though that’s what the Carabins’ head coach, Isabelle Leclaire, had advised her.

"It never crossed my mind that she would come back to play college hockey," Leclaire told me on Sunday, after the game between the Carabins and the Gaiters. She talked to Eric Bouchard (Centre 21.02 head coach) and told him that she hadn't been happy in Sweden. Eric told me that she might have be open to come back, so I texted Audrey-Anne to tell her that the door was open because we had injuries. »

This conversation took place in the days following November 18, when Veillette received the news that she had been cut off by the Montreal Victoire.

With the Carabins, Wikona Laloche had just had X-rays confirming a wrist fracture, Laurie-Anne Éthier had been injured since the first game of the season, and captain Amélie Poiré-Lehoux, who still hadn’t played this season, had just confirmed to her coach that she wouldn’t be returning, thereby saving a year of eligibility.  

The stars were aligned for Veillette to return with the Carabins.  

In reality, Veillette never really left the Carabins. She has always been around the team. She practiced with the team either to get back in shape during her rehabilitation or to maintain her fitness afterward.

“Audrey-Anne asked me if I would take her back. I wanted to speak with the team leaders first, and the answer was that she’s a Carabin, she didn’t come from just anywhere, and everyone would be happy to welcome her, even those who might have to deal with the repercussions of her presence,” explains Leclaire.

According to U Sports regulations, nothing prevented her return.

On the men's side, a former professional player no longer has to wait 365 days before joining a team, whereas if their professional participation occurs before August 15 of the year the player turns 22, it no longer counts toward their eligibility.

On the women's side, the rule is clear: there is none!

Unlike men's hockey, U Sports rules state that 'there are no restrictions imposed for external participation' in women's ice hockey, as long, of course, as the player is enrolled in courses and still has years of eligibility remaining.

Will that change now that there is a professional league worthy of the name and that Veillette’s case is making headlines? 

I wouldn’t be surprised.

With the Carabins, Veillette is reunited with former teammates such as Jade Picard, Audrey Gervais, and Chloé Duchesneau. But for the most part, they have never played with her, which is the case for her linemates Catherine Proulx and Juliette Rolland.

“We had a good feeling about Catherine, Juliette, and Audrey-Anne, and so far it’s really clicking well between the three,” confirms Coach Leclaire.

Indeed.

In her first regular-season game last Friday against Bishop’s, Veillette didn’t wait long. By the 12th minute of play, she scored her first goal, picking up right where she had left off nearly three years ago. Her last regular-season goal in the RSEQ dated back to February 17, 2023, against McGill. Veillette finished the game with a goal and an assist.

Two days later, in front of many people who had come to support her return to University of Montreal’s CEPSUM, she scored another goal, assisted by Proulx and Rolland. On that play, Rolland could have easily taken the shot, but she chose to pass the puck to Veillette, who beat Bishop goalie Laurence Boivin in spectacular fashion.

"When I found out she was coming back, I wanted to play with her," Juliette Rolland said after the game. "Catherine Proulx and I played together a lot this season and tried many things, but as soon as Audrey-Anne arrived, it just clicked. We have very complementary styles. Catherine has great vision, I go and get the puck, and Audrey-Anne puts it in. We're not nervous when we get the puck on her stick!"  

As for the locker room and the reception the forward received upon her return, Rolland's response mirrors what Leclaire said on the subject.  

"Of course, she's someone who already takes on a big role, but we want to win so much, and she's a player who has a big impact, with a great attitude, who helps a lot. So she's a player who can help in many situations."

However, we must be honest.

Veillette's goal here is to return to the pros. She needs to be prepared accordingly, and this is something Isabelle Leclaire is very aware of.

"We need to see an explosive, aggressive, fast Audrey-Anne, in both offensive and defensive transitions. Often it's a matter of reaction time. She will get back defensively, but there’s a brief moment before she takes off. She needs to takes off faster. We need to feel that she’s quick and explosive. Yes, we want to see her offensive game at the college level, but that’s not what will get her to the next level. She needs to be highly effective defensively, very good along the boards, clearing the puck from the zone—things expected from a fourth-line player in the PWHL, not from a top line college player. She’s often been assessed over the past few years, and now she needs to be more instinctive. That’s what we discussed together."  

Meanwhile, Veillette has regained her love for playing hockey.

“I think I just want to work hard and have fun. The last three years have been stressful; it wasn’t the best hockey I wanted to play. I had lost a bit of the fun in playing. You play a game, get off the ice, and have a smile when you get back on. That’s how I want to have fun. Whatever happens will happen after, but for now, that’s what I want.”

It’s also a Veillette 2.0 that Leclaire sees after three years.

“She has improved defensively. She’s more aggressive. And she has to adjust because she’s worked with body checking in recent seasons, so she needs to moderate her approach to the puck carrier—but not too much!”

Veillette's return is causing a stir across the league, and it's understandable. After all, she had been selected for the RSEQ and U Sports first all-star teams, in addition to being named the Quebec most outstanding player in 2023.  

So it wasn’t surprising to hear Bishop’s head coach, Alexandra Boulanger, who played against Veillette from 2021 to 2023, have good things to say.  

“I think at first it was surprising because we didn’t know you were allowed to play after going pro. It’s great, good for her. I see it as purely positive for her because she’s a good person, a good athlete, and it’s important for her development. For the RSEQ, it adds another very talented player to keep an eye on.”

In the end, the Carabins got lucky.

Laloche didn’t have a fractured wrist after all. She scored two points over the weekend. And as good news never comes alone, Éthier returned to the game on Friday, recording an assist in her first match in three months.

The result?

The Carabins won both of their games against the Gaiters, 4-1 on Friday and 3-0 on Sunday.

With the return of the injured players and the addition of Veillette, the Carabins will definitely be a team to watch in this second half of the season.