While there’s quite a bit of turmoil in Minnesota and not only about the draft, things have been fairly calm in the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s Montreal team and, as expected, general manager Daniele Sauvageau hasn’t put pen to paper with any of her pending unrestricted free agents. It makes sense really, that way she can now evaluate what the draft yielded and decide how to go forward accordingly. She still has exclusive negotiation rights with them until June 21, so there is no rush. However, Sauvageau got an early start to her draft day inking her last-round pick in the inaugural draft, Lina Lunjgblom, to a three-year contract. Even though Lunjgblom had a contract to play in Sweden last season, Sauvageau decided to secure her signing rights in advance, which was an astute decision by the GM.
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While every team got to pick 15 players at last year’s inaugural draft, the latest one only included seven rounds. Even though Montreal was swept in the playoffs, its draft position was determined by its regular season finish in the standings. Having finished second behind Toronto, Montreal has the penultimate pick in each round. The only position that doesn’t need any reinforcements is in net IF Elaine Chuli decides to re-sign with the team because even though Ann-Renée Desbiens may be the best goaltender in the world behind Canada’s defence, she isn’t behind an unsteady defense like Montreal’s.
Up front, the injury to Poulin revealed just how little depth there was to score goals and Melodie Daoust’s retirement sure won’t help in that department. However, Lunjgblom’s addition will, the forward scored two goals and added an assist at the last Women’s World Championship in Sweden’s five games. The 22-year-old was also an alternate captain for the Swedes and finished her season in Sweden with 46 points in 36 games.
First Round Pick: Cayla Barnes – Defender
Montreal needed to shore up its defence and with Claire Thompson off the board, Cayla Barnes was the best option available. At just 25 years old, she has two Olympic medals, a gold and a silver, two World Championship gold medals and three silvers on top of being an NCAA national champion with the Ohio Buckeyes last season. She played 39 games and picked up 36 points in the process and while the plus/minus stat is no one’s favourite, it’s not misleading when you’re a plus-71.
By improving its blue line corps, Montreal will make Desbiens’ life a little easier when the second season gets going (and Chuli’s as well if she is signed to a new contract). They killed two birds with one stone on that one, always a good way to go.
Second Round Pick: Jennifer Gardiner – Forward
For scoring depth, Montreal once again turned to the Ohio Buckeyes and picked up their captain Jennifer Gardiner, Barnes’ teammate last season and therefore also an NCAA national champion. She put up 45 points on the season including 18 goals and was the very last player cut from Team Canada this past year. In Montreal, she’ll have a lot of help to make it from Team Canada captain Poulin, wingers Laura Stacey and Kristin O’Neil.
At just 22 years old, these young legs will also be useful if Montreal’s playoff games next season (should there be any) last as long as this past season’s.
Third Round Pick: Abigail Boreen – Forward
Abigail Boreen spent last season in Minnesota as one of their reserves as she was attending pharmacy school there. Much like Melodie Daoust was taken as a straight reserve by Montreal, Boreen got the same treatment in Minnesota. She spent five years playing for the University of Minnesota in the NCAA and captained the team in 2022-23.
In her last year in the NCAA, she got 36 points in as many games. Last season she appeared in nine games for Minnesota gathering five goals along the way. She also featured in the first round of the playoffs, picking up an assist in five games. Montreal gets the best of both worlds here, some experience in a 24-year-old.
Fourth Round Pick: Dara Greig – Forward
Clearly, Sauvageau and head coach Kori Cheverie have heard enough about the lack of depth up front after their marathon playoffs games which they almost completely played with only two lines. They drafted yet another forward in Dara Greig from Colgate University in the NCAA; the New Jersey native has Canadian nationality nonetheless.
Last season, she picked up 42 points in 40 games and should be more than able to provide secondary scoring for Montreal. The Daily Faceoff mock draft called her “an offensive powerhouse”, I’ve got to say I’m intrigued now. Good bloodlines in any case as father Mark was a first-round pick for the Hartford Whalers in the 1990 NHL Draft and brother Ridly now plays for the Ottawa Senators.
Fifth Round Pick: Anna Wilgren – Defender
Ambrose must have let out a sigh of relief there as Montreal finally picked another blueliner in Anna Wilgren, a Wisconsin native who played for the University of Minnesota for five seasons and ran into injury troubles more than once. Still, the captain kept battling but eventually decided to go home where she joined the Wisconsin Badgers.
She managed to play 40 games and put up 24 points in her first and only season with the Badgers and will be hoping to stay healthy as she moves north of the border. There is another Badgers alumni in Montreal, but with the Montreal Canadiens, perhaps Cole Caufield will introduce her to her new home.
Sixth Round Pick: Anna Kjellbin – Defender
Sauvageau went to Sweden for the 35th-overall pick and selected blueliner Anna Kjellbin, a 30-year-old who played in the Svenska damhockeyligan (SDHL) for a seventh season last year. It was her third with Lulea HC and she served as an alternate captain for her farewell season racking up 13 points in 34 regular season games and five points in nine playoff games.
Kjellbin also captained her country’s national team in the latest World Championship but was held off the scoresheet. This deep into the draft, it’s tricky to have much information about these players, but there’s plenty of experience there and after declaring for the draft, it’s hard to imagine her not crossing the pond to try her luck in the PWHL. At least Lunjgblom will have a travelling companion and someone to keep an eye on the 22-year-old rookie who has never left her home country.
Seventh Round Pick: Amanda Kessel – Forward
This was a very good selection with the second to last pick of the night. Amanda Kessel started playing for Team USA in 2011-12 until 2022-23 when she took a year away from her playing career, concentrating on her role as special assistant to Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas. She won’t be too lonely in Montreal as head coach Cheverie also worked for the Penguins’ organization. Furthermore, she’ll be teaming up with a few former Team Canada rivals.
While she’s no spring chicken at 32, 33 by the time the season starts, she was still racking up the points before taking her hiatus. In her last World Championship in 2022-23, she put up nine points in seven games, and if we go back to the same competition a year before, she had 17 points in seven games. The Montreal-Boston rivalry might even heat up some more with sister-in-law Courtney Kessel coaching Boston’s team.
As expected, Montreal worked hard to fill the holes they had in their lineup; some much-needed depth scoring up front and stability on the backend. The fact they selected more youngsters is also a gold start for them as you’ve got to think long-term even if the league is in its infancy.
My one worry is they may get some backlash for not drafting Quebecer Emmy Fecteau who was nabbed by New York in the sixth round, a move highly reminiscent of Montreal grabbing Jillian Dempsey right under Boston’s nose at the inaugural draft. We all know how much criticism the Canadiens receive when they don’t pick local, but as I always say, drafting is for winning not for pleasing. Besides, two of the three first free agent signings made by Sauvageau in the initial free agency period were from Quebec.
Priority number one for Sauvageau now has to be to reach a deal with Chuli, who should be amenable since the potential vacancies around the league are looking few and far between. Gwyneth Philips’ selection by Ottawa in the third round might have been the final drop in the bucket there. As for the other pending unrestricted free agents, they might have trouble retaining their spot on the team against this fresh crop of rookies. Blueliner Amanda Boulier should stay though as her arrival greatly improved the defence corps last season even with her small stature. Up front, I wouldn’t be shocked if Sauvageau offered another contract to Ann-Sophie Bettez who ended last season on long-term injured reserve and has already said she’s not ready to retire at 36. Furthermore, Bettez is a local favourite and has played in Montreal for as long as fans can remember. She should be allowed to retire on her own terms.
