Ann-Renée Desbiens

Ann-Renée Desbiens (born April 10, 1994) is a Canadian ice hockey goaltender for the Montreal Victoire and member of the Canada women's national ice hockey team.

She participated at the 2015 IIHF Women's World Championship, the 2018 Winter Olympics., the 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship, the 2022 Winter Olympics, and the 2022 IIHF Women's World Championship. She won silver at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Playing career

Desbiens was the first female player drafted to the Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League, the second-highest men's junior league in Québec after the QMJHL. She was selected by the Loups de La Tuque but was cut before ever playing a game because the coach didn't believe there was any point in developing girls. That same year, she participated in the Shawinigan Cataractes training camp.

She made one playoff appearance for the Montréal Stars of the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) in 2012, as the team won the Clarkson Cup.

College In 2013, she was offered a scholarship to play at the University of Wisconsin in the NCAA, despite not being fluent in English. Across four years with the Wisconsin Badgers women's ice hockey program, she led the team to four Frozen Four appearances, tallied 99 wins in 122 games, and set several individual records, including highest career save percentage (SV%), at .963, and lowest goals against average (GAA), with 0.71.

During her senior year, on November 6, 2016, Desbiens broke Noora Räty's record for most NCAA career shutouts of any gender. In a 6–0 shutout victory against the Bemidji State Beavers, Desbiens would log career shutout number 44. At the end of her senior year, Desbiens was awarded the Patty Kazmaier Award as the top female college ice hockey player in the United States.

Desbiens was the first Canadian selected at the 2016 NWHL Draft, chosen in the first round, fourth overall by the Boston Pride. As of 2021, she has not appeared with the team nor made any indication of interest in playing in the NWHL.

After the 2018 Olympics, during the 2018-19 season, Desbiens took a break from hockey, citing exhaustion and the uncertainty of options to play professionally. In May 2019, she returned to hockey by joining the PWHPA.

In the 2019–20 season, Desbiens appeared for the Fond du Lac Bears in the Great Lakes Hockey League, an elite men's amateur league. She also participated in the women's ice hockey showcase at the 2020 NHL All-Star Game, making 15 saves as the Canadian All-Stars beat the American All-Stars.

PWHPA Standing between the pipes for Team Bauer (Montreal) in the 2021 Secret Cup, which was the Canadian leg of the 2020–21 PWHPA Dream Gap Tour, Ann-Renee Desbiens registered 19 saves in a 4-2 championship game win over Team Sonnet (Toronto).

PWHL In 2023, the PWHPA and the rival Premier Hockey Federation consolidated into the new Professional Women's Hockey League. With each of the six new teams able to make three initial free agency signings, Desbiens was widely assessed as a probable signing by the new PWHL Montreal, later renamed the Montreal Victoire. On September 5, she was reported as one of Montreal team's first three players, alongside Team Canada teammates Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey. In the 2024-25 PWHL season, Desbiens was awarded Goaltender of the Year. During the 2025 PWHL Expansion Draft, she was one of three players who were allowed to be protected first by Montreal. On October 23, 2025, she signed a two-year contract extension with the Victoire. During the 2026 PWHL Expansion Draft, she was again one of three players, who were allowed to be protected first by Montreal.

International play

Desbiens was selected to play for Team Canada at the 2015 IIHF Women's World Championship, where she guided Canada to a silver medal.

International play Debiens was part of Canada's National Women's Under-18 Team to a gold medal at the 2010 IIHF World Women's Under-18 Championship in Chicago. As a member of the gold medal-winning squad, a hockey card of her was featured in the Upper Deck 2010 World of Sports card series. In addition, she participated in the Canada Celebrates Event on June 30 in Edmonton, Alberta which recognized the Canadian Olympic and World hockey champions from the 2009–10 season .

During the 2011–12 Canada women's national ice hockey team season, she was a member of the Canadian National Under 18 team that participated in a three-game series vs. the US in August 2011. She was part of the gold medal-winning Team Ontario Red squad at the 2011 Canadian National Women's Under-18 Championships

Olympics Desbiens competed for Team Canada at her first Olympic Games in PyeongChang 2018, earning a shutout against the Olympic Athletes of Russia. Following the Games, Desbiens stepped back from goaltending for an eighteen month break until the 2019-2020 Canada-USA Rivalry Series.

On January 11, 2022, Desbiens was named to Canada's 2022 Olympic team. There, she made five starts. In a preliminary game against the United States, she made 51 saves on 53 shots, setting a Canadian record for the most saves in an Olympic game. In the gold medal game, also against the United States, she made 38 saves on 40 shots, earning her first Olympic gold medal.

On January 9, 2026, Desbiens was named to Canada's roster to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics. She made her tournament debut on February 9, 2026, featuring in a 5–1 victory over Czechia. She was part of the squad which won the silver medal, following a 2-1 loss against the United States in the final on February 19, 2026, a game in which she made 31 saves.

Personal life Desbiens has a master's degree in accounting. She has named NHL goaltender Patrick Roy as a role model, her family being supporters of the Quebec Nordiques and then the Colorado Avalanche.

In October 2025, a sculpture of Ann-Renée Desbiens was unveiled at the Clermont Arena in her hometown.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP W L OT MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV% 2011–12 Montréal Stars CWHL — — — — — — — — — 1 1 0 — — 0 3.00 .000 2013–14 University of Wisconsin WCHA 12 11 1 0 677 12 3 1.06 .957 — — — — — — — — 2014–15 University of Wisconsin WCHA 37 26 7 4 2236 43 14 1.15 .941 — — — — — — — — 2015–16 University of Wisconsin WCHA 38 33 4 1 2279 29 21 0.76 .960 — — — — — — — — 2016–17 University of Wisconsin WCHA 35 29 2 4 2110 25 17 0.71 .963 — — — — — — — — 2019–20 Fond du Lac Bears GJHL 1 1 0 0 60 1 0 1.00 .960 — — — — — — — — 2023–24 PWHL Montreal PWHL 16 7 5 2 976 37 1 2.28 .923 3 0 3 247 7 0 1.70 .931 2024–25 Montreal Victoire PWHL 21 15 2 2 1,228 38 0 1.86 .932 4 1 3 311 8 0 1.55 0.943 2025–26 Montreal Victoire PWHL 25 16 6 4 1,509 28 7 1.11 .955 9 6 3 601 14 2 1.40 0.944 PWHL totals 62 38 13 8 3,714 103 8 1,66 .937 16 7 9 1159 29 2 1.50 0,948

International Year Team Event Result GP W L T/OT MIN GA SO GAA SV% 2011 Canada U18 3 2 1 0 179 5 1 1.67 .900 2015 Canada WC 3 2 0 0 140 4 3 1.71 .931 2018 Canada OG 1 1 0 0 60 0 1 0.00 1.000 2021 Canada WC 5 5 0 0 307 7 1 1.37 .908 2022 Canada OG 5 5 0 0 300 9 0 1.80 .940 2022 Canada WC 5 5 0 0 300 4 1 0.80 .934 2023 Canada WC 5 4 1 0 303 10 1 1.98 .884 2024 Canada WC 5 4 0 1 309 7 2 1.36 .936 2025 Canada WC 4 2 1 1 257 7 1 1.64 .926 2026 Canada OG 5 3 1 1 296 9 1 1.82 .914 Junior totals 3 2 1 0 179 5 1 1.67 .900 Senior totals 38 31 3 3 2272 57 11 1.51 .925 Sources: EliteProspects, University of Wisconsin, Fond du Lac Bears

Awards and honours Honours Year RefCollege WCHA Player of the Year 2016 AHCA-CCM First-team All-American 2017 Patty Kazmaier Award 2017 First All-Star Team 2025 Second All-Star Team 2026 Walter Cup champion 2026