Montreal hockey fans will once again get to see Marie-Philip Poulin in action.
According to new reports from Sportnet’s Jeff Marek, the newly formed Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), which is set to hit the ice next year, has already started signing players.
And it looks like Poulin is among Montreal’s first selections.
PWHL – sounds like Marie-Philip Poulin, Anne-Renee Desbiens and Laura Stacey will be the first three signings for Montreal.
— Jeff Marek (@JeffMarek) September 5, 2023
Nicknamed “Captain Clutch,” Poulin recently led Canada’s Olympic gold medal-winning hockey team at the 2022 Beijing Games, where she became the first hockey player — man or woman — to score in four Olympic gold-medal games (2010, 2014, 2018, 2022).
She has three gold medals and one silver in four participations on the international stage.
Since last year, the Beauceville native has been working part-time as a player development consultant for the Montreal Canadiens.
Joining Poulin in Montreal will be Quebec-born goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens and forward Laura Stacey, Marek reports.
Desbiens, 29, won three gold medals and three silver medals between the pipes as the starter for Team Canada.
Stacey, a Mississauga, Ontario, native, is also a member of the three-time gold medal-winning Team Canada, and is married to Poulin.
None of the player signings are official yet but are expected to be made public as soon as Thursday, September 7.
The six teams that make up the new women’s league will also have the chance to select new players when the PWHL draft is held on September 18.
Three Canadian markets will be represented in the PWHL: Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto, as well as Boston, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and the New York City area. While the cities are set, none of the teams have official names yet.
Most of the world’s top players are expected to play in the new league, with games commencing in January 2024. Each team will play a 24-game regular season schedule.