It was a big draft year for Montreal professional hockey teams. At the same time, the Montreal Canadiens rocked the NHL draft when they traded Emil Heineman to the New York Islanders for Noah Dobson, the Montreal Victoire did the same to the PWHL when GM Daniele Sauvageau sent underperforming forward Kristin O’Neill to the New York Sirens for Abby Roque.
After putting up nine points in 23 games in her first season with the Victoire and adding two goals in three playoff games, O’Neill struggled this past season, only managing to gather five points in 30 games and a pair of points in four playoff contests.
O’Neill is a speedy forward on whom Kori Cheverie relied for offensive production, but also on the forecheck, where she can be a real pain despite her small stature. Still, the Victoire needed to improve its offense, especially after losing Jennifer Gardiner and Cayla Barnes early in the expansion process.
Relying on Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey at all times is not a sustainable recipe for success, and given O’Neill’s offensive struggle, it made sense for Sauvageau to strike a deal with Sirens’ GM Pascal Daoust and to sacrifice her fourth-round pick to acquire Roque.
Fans of the Canadian national team will be very familiar with Roque, who had some great tournaments playing for Team USA. At the 2022 World Championship, she gathered eight points in seven games, including five goals. In a tight final, which Canada eventually won 2-1, Roque was the sole scorer for the Americans but was also assessed a two-minute penalty for an illegal hit.
She followed that performance with nine points in seven games at the 2023 World Championship as Team USA beat Canada 6-3 in the final. While Roque was kept off the scoresheet, her physical presence played a significant role in the American win.
Roque didn’t have to wait to be drafted when the PWHL came into existence; she was one of New York’s initial three signings, alongside Alex Carpenter and Micah Zandee-Hart. The Sirens finished last in the league in 2023-2024, but Roque still managed to put on 13 points in 24 games, which made her the fifth most productive forward on the team. While she was suited for the kind of physical play allowed in the PWHL, she struggled to adjust to what was permitted and what wasn’t, spending 31 minutes in the penalty box. She also had a minus-15 differential in year one, the second worst on the team.
Roque improved in her second year, scoring 17 points in 30 games, the fourth-highest total on the team. She also managed to clean up her game, spending only six minutes in the box and closing out the year with a minus-eight differential.
Met at the Laura Stacey’s Sticks in for Charity Event, Victoire goaltender Ann-Renee Desbien was happy to comment on the trade:
Well, personally, I played with her at the University level; she’s one of my good friends, and I’m really looking forward to it. Fans will adore her. She’s made some great plays last season (she scored the first Michigan goal in the league, see the video above), and she’s very creative offensively. I’m looking forward to seeing her highlights this season. She’ll bring something that might have been a bit lacking, some physicality, some grit, and she’s also very annoying to play against. She’s evolved a lot as well in her second season in the league. She hardly spent any time in the penalty box last season, only six minutes, and she’s one of the top players in the faceoff circle.- Ann-Renee Desbiens on Abby Roque
The way the netminder spoke about her former Wisconsin teammate, it’s clear that the experience of playing on the same side with the Badgers is what stuck with her, even if it was only for one season, rather than being a rival on the international stage.
It will be interesting to see how Roque fits in with the Victoire. While she’s not very tall at 5-foot-7, she’s able to use her 181-pound frame to create opportunities on the ice, and she’s not easy to move away from the front of the net for a defending blueliner. Whichever way you look at it, Roque is sure to make a significant impact with the Victoire this season.
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