The Montreal Canadiens held their NHL development camp in Brossard, Quebec from June 30 to July 2, and on Day 2, the Montreal Victoire coaching staff took to the ice to put players through their paces.

Last year, only head coach Kori Cheverie was a guest coach, but the Habs went all out this year, also extending an invitation to Bruno Pierre Guillemette (goaltending coach), Noemie Marin, Caroline Ouellette and Alex-André Perron, who are all assistant coaches with the Walter Cup winning PWHL side.

The Canadiens have been nothing but helpful since the Victoire and the PWHL arrived in town. They have allowed Daniele Sauvageau’s team to use the Place Bell as their home rink, have lent them the Bell Centre at times, and have always invited players to their annual skills competition. Back in 2025, then Victoire forward Jennifer Gardiner had won the precision shot contest, hitting the four targets faster than any other player, including the Canadiens’ finest.

There seems to be growing support for the PWHL in the NHL.

The Edmonton Oilers invited Abbey Murphy, Chloe Primerano, and Caitlin Kraemer to attend their development camp as players and Erin Ambrose as a coach, while the Vancouver Canucks invited Gardiner as a coach. Other PWHL coaches including Rachel Flanagan and Christine Bumstead also worked at NHL camps this week.

For Ouellette, that was great news.

“I was pleasantly surprised to see that. I think it’s a great experience; of course, we’d have to ask those who took part, but it was a lot of fun to see the pictures of those three young players. They are all excellent and will have an immediate impact at the professional level. It was both interesting and important that the Oilers not only thought about it, but actually did it.”

For the former Olympian, it was a first experience at a Canadiens’ development camp and one she enjoyed tremendously.

“It was amazing to be surrounded by coaches who work at the highest level; it was fascinating. I loved meeting everyone and seeing their presentations. We were given a glimpse of the latest techniques taught at the highest level and how they help young players develop," said Ouellette.

"This morning, Martin St-Louis came and gave a fantastic speech to the guys about the importance of preparation, of always competing and how very few people make it. He emphasized the need to have the right mindset, the right preparation, and that it’s a personal choice; it’s up to them. It was even more impactful because he’s someone who came from so far, who battled to become one of the best. It gives his speech a lot of credibility, and as I was looking around the room, the guys were watching with so much interest, so much focus.”

If you’re wondering if Ouellette will be back behind the Victoire’s bench next season since she had said she would be working full-time with Cheverie’s staff after leaving Concordia for the Olympic cycle, but had not committed further, the decision has yet to be made.

“We just finished the season, so I need to have a conversation with Daniele Sauvageau," said Ouellette. "I loved my experience but there are a lot of things to consider. "I need to speak with my partner Julie (Chu), who’s Concordia’s coach, to see what works best for our family. It’s all been a whirlwind; we went straight from the celebrations to the expansion to the draft. I haven’t had time to have those conversations. They should happen in the next few weeks.”

As for whether she could be interested in a GM role, she admits it could be the case one day, but for now she feels she still has so much to give as a coach, and she loves the job and how closely she works with the players. Gina Kingsbury, who used to be Team Canada’s GM, has spoken to her in the past, telling her she’d be a great candidate, and while Ouellette didn’t rule it out, the role of Team Canada's general manager is not something she wants to do right now.

While she may not have discussed her future yet, when she talks about Sauvageau’s signings for the upcoming season, she does use the words “us” and “we."

“It’s been a rollercoaster of emotion, we had such a challenging end to the season with many injuries so to be able to win, to get the performances we got from players who weren’t at their best, it was simply extraordinary," Ouellette said.

"We did not have time to come back to reality before being hit hard by the expansion draft. It hurts to work with players for such a long time and then see them leave, sort of against their will, a bit for some. It’s our reality, and I think Daniele has done an incredible job going out and getting players who’ll be able to help us from the get-go when we start with the Victoire. Throughout the league, our team’s reputation is made, and everyone knows it’s a good organization that is well-managed, well-coached, and has an incredible leadership and veteran group. I'm really proud to see Jessie [Eldridge] and Emma [Maltais] join the Victoire. Maltais will bring us a lot of experience, a lot of grit. Nadia Mattivi, who’s coming back, and the players we were able to keep form a good part of our core. We’ll be starting on a good base; we lost some great players, that’s for sure. Picking 12th in every round was also an enormous challenge; we only found out mere days before the draft. We’ll try to develop the players we picked as much as possible; we have the staff to do it. Hopefully, we’ve drafted the right type of humans, players that want to come and improve, develop every day. If we get that, as we did last year, I think we’ll have another great season."

Finally, she had a lot of praise for captain Marie-Phillip Poulin, who played on a torn ACL to win the Walter Cup. She knew that nothing could be said to stop her from lacing them up.

“I’ve known her forever, and it’s not the first time she plays through serious injuries. She’s someone who always brings her best. If she’s not at 100% on the ice, she’ll be at 100% off the ice with her leadership, the way she supports her teammates; she makes the group come together," Ouellette said.

"What I’ll take away from this season is her leadership. She wanted to win, but she understood she couldn’t do it on her own; she needed to make the players around her elevate, and that’s what she did magnificently. The same can be said about Laura Stacey; she was incredible. Anne-Renee Desbiens had perhaps the best season of her career, and our best players stood up at the right time. Erin Ambrose had incredible playoffs; you need that veteran presence that will deliver in the important moments. Abby Roque also made a difference, and young players like Nicole Gosling and Lina Ljungblom stepped up during the playoffs to help us succeed. It all starts with the atmosphere, the team culture, the fact that you have a united team that believes it can win and is ready to fight each game for the win.”

Should Ouellette decide not to come back full-time next season, it would be yet another massive loss for the Victoire. While there are many factors she needs to consider before making a decision, with the help of her family, her passion for the game, the job, and the team is obvious.

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