Alexandra Labelle will continue her professional career in New York in the LPHF. (Photo Journal Saint-François – Archives)
Forward from Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague, Alexandra Labelle, made history by becoming one of the players selected in the first annual draft of the brand new Professional Women’s Hockey League.
The 5-foot, 6-inch, 154-pound athlete saw the New York team get their hands on him at 88th overall, during the 15th round of selection. The former University of Montreal Carabins player took her first steps in professional hockey in 2022 when she made the roster for the Montreal Force, the Premier Hockey Federation team. During her first campaign, she collected six goals and seven assists for 13 points and 12 penalty minutes in 24 games.
Labelle, 27, was drafted by New York which counts Pascal Daoust as general manager and Howie Draper as head coach.
Already last week the American team, one of three in the LPHF whose activities will be held in the United States, had reached an agreement with free agents Abby Roque, Alex Carpenter and Micah Zandee-Hart.
Alexandra Labelle will also join the team’s first choice, Canadian defender Ella Shelton, as well as Frenchwoman Chloe Aurard, Quebecer Élizabeth Giguère and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu center Jade Downie-Landry.
In addition to New York, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Boston and Minnesota have clubs in this league founded a few weeks ago.
Mélodie Daoust ignores
Another hockey player from the region, Mélodie Daoust, seems to have passed up the possibility of continuing her professional career within one of these teams.
On the social network X (formerly Twitter), the journalist from Radio-Canada Sports Christine Roger said : Mélodie Daoust should not be drafted in the LPHF today. Her name appears on the eligibility list, but her boy and her work at Collège Bourget are her priorities. She offered Danièle Sauvageau the opportunity to be a “practice” player and reservist with Montreal.
Christine Roger added that this status was written at the request of the player from Valleyfield who currently resides in Saint-Zotique. Daoust is a coach with the Voltigeurs du Collège Bourget women’s hockey team and could be called up by Montreal for example, for two maximum periods of 10 days during the season to replace injured players for example.
As for the other hockey player from the region who aligned with the Montreal Force last season, Sarah Lefort from Ormstown, her name was not mentioned during the draft of the LPHF which was held in Toronto on Monday afternoon.
2023-09-19 13:00:25
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