Professional women’s hockey league | “The portrait will change” next year

“There are probably 35 players in the current league who are going home or who will have to go play in Europe. And of the 35 who will replace them, it is very possible that, for some, it will be finished in a year. »

On the phone, Pascal Daoust, general manager of the New York team in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (LPHF), makes no detour: due to the draft which will take place in a few weeks, all the teams are called to change your face. Good news for the level of competition on the circuit; a less good one for the hundred players whose contracts will expire at the end of June.

General managers have not yet received authorization from the league to grant new contracts to their players. Those who had signed two or three year agreements before the inaugural season do not have to worry about it. However, they represent less than half of the goalkeepers, defenders or attackers in the LPHF.

Theoretically, managers must wait until the free agent market opens, after the draft, around mid-June, to begin concluding new pacts with their players. However, discussions are underway with league senior management to open a pre-draft signing window.

At a press briefing on Friday, the general manager of the Montreal team, Danièle Sauvageau, said that it was “much too early” to establish who will stay and who will leave. “The picture will change,” she warned. But today, it would be inappropriate and irresponsible for me to make individual comments about the players. »

In interview with The Pressshe clarified that even in the individual evaluations at the end of the season, which took place with the players on Thursday, there had been no question of contracts.

“We are waiting for answers from the league before negotiating,” she said.

Precariousness

In Montreal, only nine players had, in 2024, a three-year contract (Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey, Kristin O’Neill, Maureen Murphy, Erin Ambrose and Ann-Renée Desbiens) or two years (Kennedy Marchment, Kati Tabin and Dominika Laskova).

The other 17 players who played at least one match had a single-year contract. Even if we can reasonably expect that some of them will be back, theoretically all of them, rookies and veterans alike, could have to go play elsewhere, or even hang up their skates.

Some Montreal players in this situation admitted that they felt, at one level or another, stress linked to their precariousness.

“It’s the first time I’ve experienced this,” said striker Gabrielle David, 24, who played in the American university ranks barely a year ago.

“I am not ready to stop my career, I am still young,” she added. I would like to stay in Montreal, but if the opportunity is not there, I will look elsewhere. »

Forward Catherine Dubois and defender Catherine Daoust, who will both be 29 at the start of next season, were realistic. Both would prefer to continue the adventure in the metropolis, but they already say they are happy to have been part of the inaugural training.

“I am grateful for the chance I was given,” summarized Dubois.

“I didn’t think I would play long enough to see that league,” added Daoust. We knew this would be a reality to deal with. I’m going to try to play again next year. »

A financial headache is also looming within club management, since with payroll expected to remain virtually fixed, it will be difficult to grant increases to established players. The situation will be all the more complex as new stars are preparing to enter the circuit.

Surplus

The draft, in fact, will shake up the state of forces in the league.

Each team will select seven players. Those who wanted to be eligible had until May 8 to indicate their interest. The list has not yet been distributed to the teams, but it could contain up to 150 names, according to different estimates.

Impact players will be there, including Sarah Fillier, young star of the Canadian national team, headlining a cohort of highly talented graduates from the NCAA. Joining her will be a strong contingent of European players who preferred to wait until year 2 of the LPHF to try their luck in North America.

Pascal Daoust, GM in New York, calculates that around 35 of the 42 players drafted in June have “excellent chances” of playing from 2024-2025. “But not to replace fourth line girls or sixth defenders,” he adds. They could take seats on first or second lines, and bring down girls who have played different roles this season. »

This influx of talent will inevitably cause many pioneers of season 1 to lose their jobs. They, just like the newcomers, drafted or not, who fail to land a position at the next training camp, will likely not have place to play.

Catherine Daoust and Ann-Sophie Bettez, from Montreal, suggested Friday that the league would eventually benefit from creating a structure of farm clubs, like in the NHL.

During a telephone conversation with The Press on this same subject, last week, Danièle Sauvageau was intrigued by the idea, recognizing that players arriving from university, like junior players drafted by NHL teams, needed time to develop.

However, we understand that this is not in the cards. On the same theme, Pascal Daoust raised the complex financial logistical issues linked to the creation of a lower caliber league.

The two DGs, without consulting each other, instead identified two short or medium term solutions to manage the surplus of personnel: Europe and expansion.

Several women’s leagues on the Old Continent could, in fact, serve as a springboard for North American female hockey players. While the option may seem attractive for young players, it would be less so for veterans. Catherine Dubois and Catherine Daoust both admitted on Friday that they would be ready to move to play elsewhere in the LPHF, but that at their age, they did not see themselves leaving their family to play overseas.

Given the success the LPHF has had this season, the idea of ​​expansion has been discussed for a while now. So far, the league has been open to the project, albeit cautious. However, nothing concrete is on the table… yet.

Is the league already ready to expand its staff? “I say yes, no problem,” replied Danièle Sauvageau. Without predicting or announcing anything, Pascal Daoust wondered if things could change “in the next year”.

What is certain is that there will be many players wishing to play in the LPHF. Consequently, there will also be many disappointed candidates.

“I think it’s part of professional sport,” Marie-Philip Poulin rightly estimated.

It is in fact the direct consequence of the establishment of a real league, in due form. The one that has been awaited for a very long time, and which is “here to stay”, recalled Laura Stacey.

For the worse, say those who will no longer be able to play it. But above all for the best.