Categories
Dans les coulisses

Amanda Kessel drafted by Montreal (after rumours sending DG to Minnesota)

Amanda Kessel, Phil’s sister, has a great talent for hockey. That said, last year, she didn’t play in the CFHL. Instead, she was a special assistant to Kyle Dubas in Pittsburgh.

Her management experience led to rumours of her becoming GM of the Minnesota women’s team in the WHL.

We don’t know if that’s still on the table, but should the talented player ever decide to play, her rights now belong to Montreal, who took a chance on her on the heels of last night’s penultimate draft pick. #HailMary

Should she ever make it to Montreal, she could be a dangerous weapon for the Quebec club, given her talent. After all, we could see her playing on the first line, if she ever arrives in town.

Nothing is certain, but the Montreal club has set its sights on the circuit with its latest draft pick.

As for the rest of the draft, seven players have been added to the Montreal roster. Cayla Barnes fills a defensive need, and three forwards follow in the middle of the pack.

Two defensive players preceded Kessel in the final round.

(OBOXADSQ || []).push({“cmd”: “addBanner”});

What’s also noticeable is that only one Canadian is coming to town. Out of seven players, five are American, one is Swedish and forward Jennifer Gardiner is from Canada.

The BC player has, however, played in the USA for Ohio State in recent years.

In other words, no player who has played in Canada has been chosen by Montreal. This is not an isolated case, however, as only New York has chosen a player who played in Canada this season.

Quebecer Emmy Fecteau was a sixth-round pick by New York. DG Pascal Daoust made the announcement in both languages.

Despite Concordia’s historic season, only one player had her name called in the program’s draft. No other Canadian program has drafted a girl.

Will any of them sign after the draft? Possibly.

Of course, we know it’s different from the men’s reality, since the guys have either the NCAA or the CHL as options. In the case of girls, there’s no junior here and Canadian hockey isn’t at the level of American hockey. So the good players go to the NCAA.

But with three pro clubs in the LPHF in this country, you have to wonder whether we shouldn’t be pushing harder to have a program worthy of the name. That’s easier said than done, but the reality is that university options in Canada are virtually non-existent for the best players.

In bursts

– That’s right.

– Exactly.

– David Quinn as Pittsburgh assistant?

– Interesting.

– Two wins away from $500,000.