U SPORTS Signings

People say that money talks when it comes to any negotiation, but I truly believe that people who are very skilled should be rewarded for earning and honing those skills. Women's professional hockey isn't awarded seven- and eight-digit contracts to players, but the PHF's larger salaries for 2023-24 will allow players to be hockey players first rather than having them hold down a professional job just to play hockey. I'll fully admit that I still see major flaws with their model, but we're not privy to all the details that may make things better behind the scenes. One thing that they are doing that makes me happy, though, is giving U SPORTS players a shot at playing professional hockey!

We'll start with the big signing today in Buffalo as Canada West Player and Athlete of the Year and U SPORTS National Champion Tatum Amy will continue her hockey career with the Beauts for the coming season! Buffalo GM Nate Oliver has dipped into the Canada West hockey talent before when he signed Autumn MacDougall and Kennedy Ganser, but Amy will give him a strong two-way player down the middle for the coming season. Amy can score in all situations as well so I'd expect her to see time on special teams, but it will be fun to watch Amy drive opponents mad with her skill and speed. Full marks to Oliver and Buffalo for signing Amy - she'll be a solid player for the Beauts next season!

The Metropolitan Riveters liked what they saw in former Alberta Pandas forward Kennedy Ganser, and they signed her to a two-year deal. Ganser had recorded a pair of 11-point seasons in her two campaigns in the league, but it would seem Ganser is finding her groove. While goals were down last season, she had more helpers as she looked more comfortable as a playmakmer, but I'd like to see head coach Venla Hovi give Ganser a little more of the offensive responsibility. She has solid vision, she skates well, and she can finish and setup teammates. Of course, Ganser's role on the team may be different than what we saw in Edmonton, but she'll be playing in East Rutherford, New Jersey for two more seasons. We'll see how those go as she settles into her role and figures out her opposition.

The Riveters also announced that former U SPORTS Player of the Year with the StFX X-Women Sarah Bujold would return on a one-year contract. Bujold had three very good seasons in the SDHL with Djurgårdens IF and HV71 before coming back to North America where she potted ten goals and 20 points for the Riveters last season. Perhaps more importantly, Bujold showed that she can be a game-breaker with her speed and scoring. That's what made her dangerous in U SPORTS, and her growth as one of Hovi's go-to players will mean that she gets chances. Where she and her teammates need to focus is keeping the puck out of their end. If they can get a better two-way game from Bujold with her possession game and speed, Bujold's signing will prove to be a good one for the Riveters again.

The Montreal Force already have an impressive roster of U SPORTS talent that includes former Ottawa defender Christine Deaudelin, former Montreal defender Brigitte Laganière, former McGill forwards Ann-Sophie Bettez, Marika Labrecque, and Jade Downie-Landry, and former Montreal forwards Alexandra Labelle, Maude Gelinas, and Kim Deschênes. To that impressive list, they'll add U SPORTS top goal scorer Audrey-Anne Veillette from the Montreal Carabins and former U SPORTS National Champion Rosalie Bégin-Cyr from the Concordia Stingers. Putting one of the most dynamic playmakers in Bégin-Cyr into the mix will make the Force more offence-minded, but they went ahead and signed a finisher like Veillette who loves denting twine. Both players could factor in for the Force in a big way considering they were the second-lowest scoring team in the PHF next season, so the Force did very well in addressing their scoring issues with two of U SPORTS' best scorers assuming that they adapt to the speed of the professional game quickly. I feel that won't be much of a problem.

The PHF team defending champions will open their season with two U SPORTS players on their roster thanks to Taylor Davison re-signing with the Toronto Six. Davison rejoins teammate Courtney Gardiner as the duo were former York Lions, and they'll look to make it a repeat championship season for the Six. Davison is a fantastic puck-moving defender who does shy away from putting in the work in the defensive zone, but I'm hoping she'll show a little more offence this season than her four points each of the two previous seasons. When she was given the green light, Davison's vision and creativity allowed her to assist on 16 goals for the Lions. The Six didn't worry about scoring, but adding a little more from a gifted player like Davison will make life easier on everyone.

It should be noted that the other three PHF teams - the Boston Pride, the Connecticut Whale, and the Minnesota Whitecaps - have no U SPORTS players on their rosters yet, but there could be more added depending on what happens in the coming weeks. Former Montreal Carabins forward Catherine Dubois and former Alberta Pandas sniper Autumn MacDougall both skated at a Toronto Six camp last week, and both skated with the Montreal Force last season. They could end up skating for a PHF team this season, and I selfishly would like to see a MacDougall-Ganser reunion under the watch of Venla Hovi with the Metropolitan Riveters. Tricia Deguire, who also played for Montreal last season, has not re-signed as far as I can tell, but I think it would be a mistake for the Force not to bring her back.

At the end of the day, it still seems like there are a lot of talented women who played in Canada as opposed to heading south that are overlooked by professional women's hockey teams. It's not just the PHF, but leagues like the PWHPA, the SDHL, and others seem to slot the U SPORTS game in lower than the NCAA. I say they're overlooking a lot of skill, but that's just me.

Of course, if the PWHPA and PHF could find a way to run one league, we might see more teams and more roster spots open up for U SPORTS talent. Until that happens, though, I'll be cheering for these former U SPORTS players who made Canadian university hockey fans cheer with every goal, shot, and save. Perhaps it will happen one day soon. Until then, I'll keep cheering for the women who dazzled us on Canadian ice!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!