Coming out of the Olympic break, it looked like the Montréal Victoire might be in trouble.
Key veterans Marie-Philip Poulin and Erin Ambrose were out with injuries, leaving question marks about how the team’s depth would step up. And while Poulin returned after just one game, Ambrose was placed on LTIR and is out for the foreseeable future, leaving a big hole on the team’s blue line.
Despite losing Ambrose, the Victoire managed to hold it down defensively for three straight wins coming out of the break. That’s thanks in no small part to some gutsy games from rookie Nicole Gosling.
Selected fourth overall at last summer’s draft, Gosling has quickly cemented herself as a key part of Montréal’s blue line. Now, in Ambrose’s absence, the 23-year-old is showing just how dominant she can be when given the opportunity.
Getting Physical
After five years at Clarkson University, Gosling knew the transition to professional hockey wouldn’t be easy. Her rookie campaign hasn’t been the flashiest, but has been marked by consistent improvement and reliable play.
“I feel like each game, I’m getting more comfortable and confident in myself,” Gosling told The Ice Garden in a recent interview. “I’m a rookie, so obviously a big learning curve coming out of college. The girls are faster, stronger, different styles of play with the physicality and everything, so obviously still adjusting. But I’m proud with what I’m doing so far.”
A big piece of adjusting to the pros was finding her physicality. At first, Gosling was hesitant to deliver hits, used to college hockey where that would earn a penalty. But slowly, she learned to finish her checks and learn how to take them too. Helping her find that form was fellow Victoire blueliner Kati Tabin.
“A couple of times after practices, (Tabin)’s like, just hit me, so I could get a feel of kind of how my body reacts to hitting someone,” Gosling recounted. “And then we kind of flipped it, and she hit me a couple of times. So I could see how I could protect myself, or how to absorb it.”
Gosling is currently second on the Victoire in hits, with 19 delivered this season.
Rising to the Occasion
In Ambrose’s absence, Gosling has taken on a bigger role defensively. She leads the team in minutes over the past three games, averaging nearly 22:46 TOI/night. She’s on the top power-play unit, killing penalties, and being trusted to guard leads late. Despite her heavy minutes, she hasn’t been on the ice for a goal against at even strength in seven games.
“I want to make the most of the opportunity that I can,” she said. “I’m confident in my abilities and I know what I am capable of. It can get frustrating at times when it’s not necessarily always going your way, but I think that’s a part of the process. I’m trying to stick with that. I’m trying to be a little bit easy on myself, knowing that it’s not going to be perfect every time.”
Watching Gosling play, it’s easy to see why she slots into Ambrose’s role so naturally. In November, Clarkson head coach Matt Desrosiers pointed out the similarities between the two former Golden Knights. Watching them on the Victoire’s top pairing this year has made that all the more evident.
“(Ambrose) definitely sees the ice very well,” Gosling said. “I think we’re definitely both a little bit more offensive, but we take care of the defensive side first. I think that might be from our college coach, always harping on defence leads to offence. So I think both of us have that similar mentality. … Honestly, watching her and playing with her, I see that similarity there.”
Making an Impression
Last week, Gosling played one of her strongest games of the year. Visiting the Toronto Sceptres, Gosling put Montréal on the board with a wrist shot from the point, which was deflected in by Marie-Philip Poulin, good for her fourth point in six games. She registered 22:11 TOI, with season-highs of six shots and three hits. After Montréal secured the win in a shootout, Gosling was named second star of the game.
“I think Gosling continues to grow,” Victoire coach Kori Cheverie said, speaking after the match. “She has been proving time and time again that she is going to be an elite defender in this league and throughout her entire career. I think she’s just getting started, and we’re happy she’s on our team.”
Her strong performance was enough to earn kudos from Sceptres head coach and Team Canada bench boss Troy Ryan after the game as well.
“I thought (Gosling) looked really composed tonight,” Ryan told the media. “I loved some of the deception that she showed at the blue line. She’s an outstanding player, good mix of offence and defence. It sounds funny, but I love the posture that she plays with. She’s always got her shoulders back and her head up. And just an incredible person as well. So I think she’s doing exactly what we’d expect she would do in her first year here in the PWHL.”
Olympic Disappointment
A native of London, Ontario, Gosling made her IIHF World Championship debut with Team Canada in 2024, winning gold. She was not selected for the 2025 edition of the tournament.
In the lead up to the 2026 Winter Olympics, Gosling participated in Hockey Canada camps and appeared in the Rivalry Series, with the hopes of cracking the Canadian roster heading to Italy. In the end, she was not selected, one of the last cuts Team Canada brass made to the defensive group.
“I was a little bit devastated not making that roster,” Gosling shared. “But at the end of the day, I can only control what I can do. So I’m just going to use it as motivation. I know I’m still young. I have years ahead of me still, so I’m kind of keeping that in the back of my mind.”
Earlier this week, Seattle Torrent forward and Edmonton native Danielle Serdachny wrote a piece for The Athletic opening up about her own struggle with not making Team Canada. Ever since those roster decisions, Gosling shared that Serdachny has been someone she’s been leaning on to deal with the disappointment.
“Yeah, we definitely have been texting quite a bit the past couple of months,” Gosling said. “Ever since we both got cut, we have just been there for each other. We know that we’re in a very different situation. There’s a bunch of people that get the opportunity to go to the Olympics, but there’s also people that have been cut from the Olympics, and some girls that make the Olympics have never really experienced that. … It’s hard sometimes to explain the disappointment to someone and have them get it to the full extent. So as much as it sucked, it was kind of nice to have a friend going through a similar situation.”
Gosling shared that going to the Olympics is still a “lifetime dream.” In the meantime, she has eyes on a roster spot with Team Canada at Worlds in November as the first step to making that dream come true in four years.