The Montreal Victoire are working to solidify their roster at training camp, but confirmed Cayla Barnes and Catherine Dubois will miss the preseason, while others are drawing in.
It was the next-to-last practice before the first preseason game in Verdun on Tuesday, and some newsworthy information came out of it.
First, head coach Kori Cheverie confirmed to the press that both Cayla Barnes and Catherine Dubois will not play tomorrow and Friday when the Victoire faces Boston and Ottawa respectively.
“They are still status quo; they are not ready yet,” said Cheverie.
No other details were given regarding Barnes. The last update given by the organization was that they were waiting to hear back from doctors to have a better idea on how long Barnes will be on the sidelines.
Exclusive info on Catherine Dubois
Regarding Catherine Dubois, GM Daniele Sauvageau told the press last week that Dubois wouldn’t be there for the first week of training camp, and most likely the second because of a medical condition, not an injury.
That said, The Hockey News was able to get exclusive information regarding Dubois' situation.
She was part of preseason interviews that broadcasters did with players last Wednesday, November 13, the day before the first practice of the season. According to one person there, she seemed to be doing well. Another person thought she was not her usual self. In any case, Dubois didn’t stay long. The day after, she wasn’t at the team first practice and the team cancelled all of her media appearances.
Also, it was confirmed to The Hockey News that the posts on her social media, where she trains and plays tour guide at the 21.02 Center in Verdun, were filmed during the summer, although they were only posted in the past few days.
And finally, people close to her, when asked about the gravity of her condition, said that she would ultimately be alright, that it was not a life-threatening condition.
Boulier back to full speed
In other news, defender Amanda Boulier had a regular practice jersey on, as she trained with the rest of her teammates.
She also gave some info on her injury.
“I’m feeling good now, just taking some extra caution for an upper-body injury,” Boulier explained. “It was a non-hockey-related injury. We just wanted to make sure everything was feeling good coming into the mini camp. I’m feeling a lot better now. Yesterday I practised for an hour, but today was my first full practice, no restriction, so very excited to be back on the ice.”
Some of the non-contracted players were confirmed for tomorrow’s game against Boston. Defenders Catherine Daoust and Anna Kjellbin, as well as forward Gabrielle David all confirmed they would be playing against Boston. On the other end, goalie Tricia Deguire was told she would not be playing tomorrow.
Also, some of the players talked about the type of contracts they would be willing to sign if offered any. Although they would all prefer to sign a standard player agreement, Kelly-Ann Nadeau and Alexandra Labelle said they would all sign a reserve player contract, if that’s what the team offers.
But for Gabrielle David and Catherine Daoust, who both played with the team last season, the answer wasn’t as conclusive.
“For now, my focus is on getting a full-time contract,” said Daoust. “If something else is offered to me, I will consider it then.”
Of course, those players could also accept an offer from another team during the waiver period. That period was confirmed by the league today as being from November 26, 5:00 p.m. to November 27, 3 p.m. The roster compliance must be confirmed by 5:00 p.m. on November 27.