The Montreal Victoire sit atop the PWHL standings for good season. Pat Laprade evaluates their roster, handing out midseason grades.
The Montreal Victoire sit atop the PWHL standings for good season. Pat Laprade evaluates their roster, handing out midseason grades.
The Victoire de Montreal played its 15th game last Saturday, and their sixth consecutive win allows them to maintain their first place in the overall standings. It is therefore time to proceed with the mid-season grades.
Grade : A+
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Despite a lesser-than-expected offensive production at the beginning of the season, Poulin has been sensational since January with nine goals in eight games. In addition to leading the league in goals, she also leads the league in game-winning goals. And what about her play without the puck, as she is one of the best in the face-off circle. No, it's not just Marie-Philip Poulin's team, but she's still the undisputed leader.
Abby Boreen is probably the discovery of the year so far. Her presence on the top line following Stacey's injury galvanized the team and Boreen established herself as a high-level power forward.
One could argue that Ann-Renée Desbiens is the most valuable player to her team at the halfway point of the season. Her game is impeccable, she makes the big saves and seems indestructible in front of the net. She hasn't allowed more than two goals to the opposing team in her last nine games, giving her team a chance to win every night.
Grade : A
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After a slow start, Ambrose leads the league with a +13 plus/minus differential. She leads the team with five power-play points, in addition to being Montreal's iron woman with more than 313 minutes played on the ice, or nearly 21 minutes per game. She also leads the league with 34 blocked shots, tied with Anna Wilgren.
Gardiner was able to produce when she was placed on the first line and she never left that line since. She is disciplined, having received only two penalty minutes since the beginning of the season, and her 12 points rank second among rookies behind Sarah Fillier.
Grant-Mentis is the spark plug of the third line. She can support the offence when needed, plays well defensively and has the third-best differential in the league at +8.
Grade : A-
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Dalton has a slightly less explosive game than Grant-Mentis, but is just as important a part of the third line, the one that has been the most consistent in terms of its lineup since the beginning of the season. Excellent on the penalty kill, she also contributed greatly to the 18 points this line obtained.
Grade : B+
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Montreal hasn't used Chuli often in the first half, but when called upon, she answers. Aside from a poor start against Minnesota, she gives her team a chance to win every time she’s in net, allowing her teammates in front of her to play with confidence.
Labelle has been a great addition to the team. Appreciated by her teammates, she pivots the third line brilliantly and plays good hockey every shift. One thing to improve in the second half would be her face-off efficiency percentage.
Stacey had a slow start, like other veterans. However, other than her sensational return-from-injury game, she didn't have the chance to find the same offensive input she had last year. That said, she's still dangerous on the ice and creates things. Her 41 shots rank her second on the team behind only Poulin and position her in the top 15 in the league in that category.
Grade: B
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We see all the potential in Barnes. In her first season, she plays almost as much as Ambrose with an average of just over 20 minutes per game. One of only two D to have a negative differential, her defensive game needs to be perfected, which is normal for someone who comes from the college level. Her eight points rank first among rookie defence players and fifth in general.
Keopple is probably the most improved player with Montreal. She already has one point more than last year in nine fewer games, in addition to having scored her first three goals in the PWHL. Keopple seems more stable on the blue line and is taking advantage of the addition of depth to the team. She’s also second in the league with 33 blocked shots.
Anna Wilgren is one of the nice surprises this year. Drafted in the fifth round, she didn't steal her spot with Team USA in the latest edition of the Rivalry Series. Her +8 differential is the third best on the team. And what about her league-leading 34 blocked shots?
Grade: B-
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Despite missing five games due to injury, Boulier brings the necessary depth to the team on the blue line and can contribute both defensively and offensively. Her game over the last two weeks has gone up a notch.
Dubois is the third most punished player in the league, and by far the leader in this category for Montreal, while playing an average of eight minutes per game. She’s an energy player, much appreciated by everyone, especially by fans. Only if bad luck could stop from following her...
Even though she doesn't play as often with Ambrose anymore, Tabin plays good hockey on the blue line. Tabin is second in hits with the team, and she brings a certain consistency to the defensive crew.
Grade: C+
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Let's hope that Ljungblom's last game, in which she scored two goals, is the first of a great second half for her. The Swede has the potential to offer better offensive production, but adjusting to a new country, a new language, a new league seems to have prevented her from fully blossoming. That's why she lost her spot on the first line.
Vacillating between the second and fourth lines, Murphy is probably the team's biggest offensive disappointment this season. From her 16 points in 24 games last year, she has just three in 13 games this year. She doesn't play like a player who was given a three-year contract in her first season.
Just like last year, KO is having a difficult offensive first half with only 4 points. Her -7 differential, on the other hand, is more surprising and to a point, disappointing. Her greatest strength? Among players with at least 100 face-offs, she is third with a success rate of 59.8%. With a healthy Stacey and a Ljungblom, who starts to put up goals, it's a second line that will be one to watch in the second half.
Grade : C
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Her last game allowed her to get a C instead of a C-. Still, a +4 record on a fourth line. She's tall, but her two hits in 14 games show that she doesn't use her physicality to her advantage.
Grade : C-
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Probably the team's biggest disappointment among new players. Captain of the Swedish national team when she arrived in Montreal, she was not able to adapt to the level of play of the PWHL. One of the few players with a negative differential on the team, she doesn't play a physical game, even though that kind of play was possible in the SDHL. She’s the only regular player on the team to have missed two games while remaining healthy.
Grade : D
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D as in Dara. The rookie forward was one of the least used players with an average of less than nine minutes per game. She creates little on offence and you can see that the step is high between the college level and the professionals. To think that Emmy Fecteau was still available at her draft rank in mind-blowing.
N/A
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David and Abstreiter didn't play at all. Daoust only played a little more than two minutes, while Nadeau was only allowed six minutes on the ice to be evaluated.
Management
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Her second- and third-round picks received A's and A+. In total, four of the first six draft picks have at least a B grade. It doesn't get much better than that. The signing of Grant-Mentis and Labelle have also been successful. The team needed more depth and that's what Sauvageau gave them. Superb job.
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Her knowledge of the players has improved and it shows. She was able to keep her third line intact and didn't hesitate to keep Poulin with Boreen and Gardiner after Stacey returned. She seems to be liked and respected by the players and the greater depth in the team allows her to better manage her bench. Cheverie has found her cruising speed and she tends to make the right decisions right now. However, she has to find a solution to her power play, even if it hasn't hurt the team so far.
The team
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The team may be second-to-last on the power play and only third on the PK, but special teams don't seem to be a determining factor this season. Montreal has the best defence in the league and one of the best offences. It's hard not to give an A+ to a team that is eight points ahead of first place with three games in hand and is on a six-game winning streak.