The Montreal Victoire were only able to skate three times as a full team in training camp prior to exhibition and needing to make their final roster decisions. The team still has work to do to prepare, and finalize their roster.
Training camps in the PWHL get shorter and shorter. From almost a month in 2023-24, to 15 days last season, there are only 12 days this time around between the first day of camp and the date teams need to have their 23-player roster finalized.
But in fact, it’s not even 12 days for the Montreal Victoire.
As crazy as it sounds, because of the Rivalry Series and Danièle Sauvageau’s Hockey Hall of Fame induction, Montreal only got three full-team practices and will have two preseason games before coaching staff has to take some decisions. And that last practice was Friday. Montreal plays Boston on Saturday and Monday, but no practices are scheduled on Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, when the roster needs to be finalized.
From the 29 players at camp, 19 have a contract for this upcoming season. With the new rule stating that “a team shall be composed of three goalkeepers who shall be under contract to the team they represent” meaning that three goaltenders have to be signed to a standard contract at all time, there are four spots available in Montreal, including that goalie, plus three spots on the reserve list.
For head coach Kori Cheverie, being her third training camp is helpful.
“You know what? I just think it gets easier and easier each year in terms of just what to expect from a league perspective,” said Cheverie, after the practice on Friday. “Like how you need to be able to play, to play in the league. And so, we can make those decisions in free agency and through the draft. And then once they get here, it's obviously a different story. But because we're seeing patterns now year after year, it's a little bit easier for us to kind of see, okay, these players can play, these players can make the jump. But it doesn't mean that our decision becomes easy because now we're picking the right players. But then it's a matter of, well, who's actually going to get a spot.”
Kori continues:
“So, we're certainly prioritizing. We're starting things quicker, player discussions a lot quicker, and we're trying to find combinations as quick as we can so that we hit the ground running when games start. And we'll use these two games to help us make some of those decisions.”
Even though it’s a shorter camp, Cheverie is satisfied with what she’s seeing so far.
“Yeah, I'm really happy. I'm globally happy with the group. I think we've improved in a few different areas, like down the middle, grittiness, physicality, size, and I'm really liking the compete in the battle, and that's been a big focus for us. And, you know, I think we also have players in the room who have spent time winning and who are in leadership roles with other teams or have been in the past. So, I'm really looking forward to the dressing room that we have.”
Shorter Camp Means Getting Ready Faster
If a shorter camp can bring some challenges to the coaching staff, it does also have an effect on the players as well. Especially those who are fighting for a spot on the active roster.
“You need to be one hundred percent more ready,” said goalie Tricia Deguire, who will get the start of the first preseason game on Saturday. “We get here and the first practice counts, and the second, and it was already our last practice today. So, we now have to be ready for the two upcoming games.”
Same kind of answers from forward Audrey-Anne Veillette, who was drafted by Ottawa in 2023, got injured, and was cut last year at Ottawa’s camp before going to Sweden.
“It’s a short training camp, but I have been training for the past five months. Each rep, each time I step on the ice and do an exercise, it counts, so I have the same mentality here. Each practice counts and we don’t have many of them, so it has to work.”
For Alexandra Labelle, who will be in her third year in the league, a short camp means you have to be on-ice ready, especially since the off-season is always a long one.
“I haven’t played a lot of games in the last six months, so I’m trying to be as ready as I can on the ice. I have been concentrating on my on-ice training over the summer. I still trained in the gym, but with a shorter camp, the most important thing is to be ready on the ice. So, I prioritized the little things I needed to improve, to get used again to play at that level, at the same speed during practices, since some have played more games than others.”
Mlynkova is Focusing on Hockey
One of those who were able to play more games is rookie Natalie Mlynkova. During the women’s euro tour last August, the 2025 second-round draft pick had two assists with team Czechia.
“Coming off from a national team tournament, just having some games under the belt definitely helped to be in a game shape a little bit,” explained Mlynkova. “But other than that, nothing has changed for me. I mean, other than the longest off season of my life! That was obviously something to adapt to and adjust a little bit. But I feel good, I feel ready to go and yeah, I just can't wait to get started.”
With Montreal’s tight budget and the minimum salary a second-round draft pick has to be paid, Mlynkova is one of many 2025 draft picks not signed yet with the team. But she didn’t let contract negotiations deviate from what she could control, and that’s being ready for the start of the season.
“As of right now, I'm just focusing on hockey. Like all negotiations, I leave it to my agent. I trust him, and, you know, that's out of my hands. I'm just focusing on what I can do on the ice. And I know they've been talking, but as of right now, I don't know anything. I'm just trying to play hockey and leave the contract and the negotiation out of my hands, and for the people that are supposed to do that.”
Nothing to Worry About for Desbiens
From those 29 players, Lina Ljungblom hasn’t practised once, on the sideline with some illness and officially being day-to-day per head coach Kori Cheverie. Ann-Renee Desbiens hit the ice for the first time on Friday, after the 90-minute regular practice, and Skylar Irving wasn’t on the ice for that last practice for precautionary reasons.
As far as Desbiens goes, my understanding is that she is good to go and there’s nothing to worry about. The precautionary term is being used here, but not to hide an injury or illness. Between Canada’s training blocks over the summer, and this year being an Olympic year, the team wants to pace Desbiens’ ice time. And since it’s a short training camp and it also allows the team to watch the other goalies even more.