It may be the offseason for the Professional Women’s Hockey League players, but it isn’t downtime for PWHL Montreal’s general manager Daniele Sauvageau. Before the 2024 Draft, she put pen to paper with three of her pending free agents, but the signings were only announced this morning. To solidify her goaltending, Sauvageau reached an agreement with Elaine Chuli and to stabilize her blue line, she retained the services of Amanda Boulier and Mariah Keopple.
About Elaine Chuli
Sauvageau signed her backup goaltender for another one-year deal and that’s probably a load off her mind. While Ann-Renee Desbiens is known as the best goaltender in the world behind Team Canada’s stacked defense, she didn’t perform in the same way behind Montreal’s unstable defense.
Meanwhile, Elaine Chuli, who was playing with the Toronto Six in the Premier Hockey Federation before joining Montreal, stood out amongst the other goaltenders in the league. She finished first in goals-against average at 1.61 and in save percentage with 0.949 amongst qualified goalies (those who played over 480 minutes during the season).
Related: PWHL Montreal 2024 Draft Targets
The fact Sauvageau didn’t draft another goaltender at last week’s draft was an indication she was confident she could re-sign Chuli. As for why it’s still only a one-year pact once again, I believe the fact the play level will keep going up in the league might be the reason. Each year, new rookies will be drafted and someday soon, there’s bound to be a goalie you just can’t pass on. When that day comes, Sauvageau wants to be able to draft her and sign her.
About Mariah Keopple
Keopple was invited as an undrafted rookie to Montreal’s training camp in mid-November last year and she shone brightly — so much so, that she beat out more experienced competition and was offered a one-year contract. She didn’t just make the team though, she made it and was assigned to play with the team’s top blueliner Erin Ambrose. In my interview with Ambrose in early March, she had a lot to say about her young teammate:
Yeah, Kepps has been great. It’s been awesome to see her progress. Obviously, the first year out of college you’re jumping right into things. Especially with the physicality and it being more than it is in college and implementing our new rules this year, but Kepps has been fantastic. I feel like we’re doing really well together and that we’re using each other very well on the blue line offensively. I think the two of us can kind of push for a bit more offensively, but defensively, I think she’s done a great job and we both kind of work together and communicate very well. It’s been awesome.
That’s high praise from one of the top defenders in the league. It’s hardly a surprise Sauvageau decided to keep her around for at least another season. In today’s media availability, the GM said she believes Keopple has yet to reach her full potential and has a very high ceiling. If she keeps improving as the level of play in the league rises, she could easily net herself another deal.
About Amanda Boulier
Boulier is one of the very rare players who was traded last season. She started her season in Ottawa, but on trade deadline day, Sauvageau, who was desperate to stabilize her defense, acquired her in return for Tereza Vanisova.
I was initially shocked by how short she was, but as soon as the game started, I was reminded of the saying “the best things come in small packages”. Boulier’s arrival immediately stabilized Montreal’s blue line, just as Sauvageau had hoped. Furthermore, she earned head coach Kori Cheverie’s trust in a flash, as proved by the truckload of ice time she got in the playoffs.
The league’s training camps will open in November and until then, the GM has her work cut out for her. So far, she hasn’t signed any of her new draft picks. As far as she knows, they are all willing and able to come play in Montreal.
She hasn’t spoken to Amanda Kessel herself yet, but Sauvageau did say she wants to return to action and perhaps do another Olympic cycle with Team USA. In other words, if she wants to do that, she’ll have to play in Montreal as the team owns her signing rights. Of course, a trade to her sister-in-law Courtney Kessel’s team Boston could always be worked out, but Sauvageau doesn’t look like she’d be ready to give her away.
As for Abigail Boreen, who supposedly wants to play for Minnesota only to pursue her pharmacy degree, Sauvageau repeated she had heard nothing of the sort, her parents having told the GM she was honored to be drafted by Montreal. Before the end of the media availability, the GM teased there may be some more announcements next week about forwards signings. Watch this space and we’ll tell you all about them.
