Report: Montreal PWHL team to sign Poulin, Stacey, Desbiens

According to Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek, Montreal’s PWHL team is expected to sign forwards Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey, as well as goaltender Anne-Renee Desbiens to deals.

The team has not officially announced the deals. These would be the first moves Montreal made after the PWHL free agency period on Sept. 1, with players able to sign up to three players until Sept. 10.

Poulin is one of the most successful players in women’s hockey history. The 32-year-old has won gold in three Olympics, three World Championships and is a two-time CWHL champ with the Montreal Canadiennes. In 93 CWHL games, the three-time MVP had 184 points, good for fifth in league history. Poulin is known for scoring big goals in championship games, including the winning goals during the 2010 and 2014 Olympics. Earlier this year, Poulin became the fourth Canadian player to reach triple digits when she scored her 100th goals on April 7.

Desbiens is one of the best goalies in the game today. The 29-year-old led Canada to gold at the 2022 Winter Olympics and World Championship, just months after winning the 2021 World Championship. Before turning pro, Desbiens embarked on an incredible NCAA career, posting an all-time record of 99-14-9 with a .89 GAA, .960 SP and an incredible 55 shutouts in just 122 games, making her one of the greatest goalies in NCAA history.

Stacey, 29, has been part of the Canadian national team system for over a decade. Her best performance came during the 2022 Olympics, when she scored four goals and six points en route to gold. Stacey had two points at the World Championship in April, her fifth tournament performance. Off the ice, Stacey previously served as the skills coach for McGill University’s women’s team in 2019-20.

Montreal is set to kick off the inaugural draft with the No. 6/7 picks, scheduled for Sept. 18, 2023. The season is expected to kick off in January, but no details regarding an arena or schedule have been announced as of yet.