The Montreal Victoire have plenty of new faces, including Abby Roque, and returning players with a bigger impact in mind like Erin Ambrose. If it all comes together, the Victoire hope to be victorious and claim their first Walter Cup.
It’s no secret that this year, the Montreal Victoire not only wants to make the playoffs, but to make it to the finals and bring the Walter Cup in Montreal.
In order to do that, they need a team that performs better when it counts, and that is after the 30th game of the season.
Montreal did lose several players during the off-season, including young guns like Abby Boreen and Jennifer Gardiner, as well a veteran like Kristin O’Neill. But they also gained Hayley Scamurra, Abby Roque, and Jade Downie-Landry, who will bring something different to the team.
“I do feel our team has more grit this year,” said head coach Kori Cheverie, Wednesday after the team first full practice.
“That was a big piece for us as an organization to get grittier. We've seen, we've collected information, we've watched, and you have to be physical and you have to be gritty to make a living in this league. And, you know, that was one of our priorities going into free agency, was finding players who can bring that to our group.”
The Abby Effect
Talking about getting grittier, the trade that brought Abby Roque to Montreal is one that made people talk over the past few months. Known to be a pest on the ice, Roque described herself as a playoff player and someone who hasn’t reached her full potential when she spoke to media on Wednesday. Something Coach Cheverie doesn’t disagree with.
“Abby is a special player, and we've had conversations throughout the summer, and she's a very high IQ type of player, and she wants to consistently get better,” said Cheverie.
“She knows that over the two seasons in New York, she left some offense on the table there and didn't maybe put the numbers up that she would have liked. And so for her here, it's an opportunity for a fresh start. And I think that's just how we treat it as well is. We can't be too worried about what happened in New York, and we're just focusing on making her the best that she can be. And we have that lens of bringing our expertise as a staff as long as our players meet us part way and their development is just as much in their hands as it is in our hands," Cheverie continued.
"And so it really is a partnership of working together to unlock that. But certainly she hit the nail on the head, like, there's more there for her, and I'm excited that she gets another opportunity in a different place.”
Ambrose’s IQ Will Be Needed
Montreal may have lost two young defenders in Cayla Barnes and Anna Wilgren, but they were able to keep Erin Ambrose, draft Nicole Gosling, and to bring players with experience such as Maggie Flaherty and Jessica DiGirolamo. Keeping Ambrose, the 2024 Defender of the Year, is especially important for the team.
“I feel great that Erin is back with us,” admits Cheverie. “I haven't come across too many D who have the IQ and the vision that she has. She’s been a staple for our back end, and she'll continue to help our young D grow and develop. And she wants to have a bigger impact than what she had last season, too. And I know that's a big focus for her. So, she'll be determined to do that.”
It will be a challenging year for Montreal, especially because of the Olympics and so many team members being involved. Not only are many players set to join their respective national team, but Cheverie, Caroline Ouellette, Danièle Sauvageau and other staff will, too. Of course, Cheverie is well aware of that and she already has a plan.
“I think something that I've really prioritized was just preparation ahead of time, knowing that there was going to be a lot of coming and going and overlap between the two programs that we just had to be really prepared," she said. "So, I think that's the name of the game is just prioritizing preparation, but also reading kind of those hot pockets of the season that are going to be very demanding on the players and our staff and making sure that we're taking care of ourselves and giving the time that we need to recover in between.”
Victoire Before Habs?
No professional hockey team has won a championship in Montreal since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993. And if one thing’s for sure, the Montreal Victoire wants to be that team.
“I think the city wants a championship, and I want to win in everything that I do. So that's always at the forefront of my mind," said Cheverie. "And our players, they want to win as well. And that was a big piece to bringing different players in and bringing in players who have won in the past, and that's the priority.”