Dara Greig Embarks on Pro Hockey Dream with Montreal

The Montreal Victoire entered the offseason looking to add depth up front. With the 23rd overall pick in the 2024 PWHL draft, they did just that by selecting Dara Greig out of Colgate University.

When her name was called during the 2024 PWHL draft, Greig was at home in Lethbridge, Alta. with her family.

“It was super exciting. It was kind of a lot to travel to go to Minnesota from Lethbridge, so I just kind of had the family over and we had a dinner,” Greig said. “It was definitely a bit nerve-wrecking, super exciting to watch and to hear my name called [...] it was definitely something I won’t forget.”

Greig comes from a hockey family. Her father Mark played 125 NHL games from 1990 to 2003, her older brother Ridly is a forward with the Ottawa Senators, and her older sister Kyra played three seasons with Lethbridge University. When Greig was preparing to turn pro, her family gave her sound advice.

“The main thing that they kept saying is just try to be as confident as you can, whether that’s going into camp or going into the draft. Just being confident in yourself, in your own game, is half the battle,” Greig said.

With less than a week remaining before training camp opens up for the Victoire on Nov. 12, Greig is in La Belle Province and lent her first impressions of the 514.

“Just Montreal, a city like none other I’ve experienced before,” said Greig. “The culture is obviously very strong. I got to learn a little French here, which I’m excited to do, but yeah, it’s a really cool city.”

When asked about goals for the upcoming season, making the team out of training camp is Greig’s ultimate prize.

“Right now, I’m just trying to be where my feet are,” Greig said. “I’m just focusing on camp next week and going in and putting my best foot forward and just having the best camp that I can. So, I’m trying not to look too far ahead.”

During her NCAA tenure, Grieg amassed 62 goals and 132 points in 175 appearances. She was notably a part of the 2021 National Championship team with the Wisconsin Badgers, showing that she knows what it’s like in a contending locker room.

Many have touted Grieg as a dynamic offensive force, combining a to-be-respected physicallity with a knack at scoring. Her final year with Colgate saw her register a point per game (42 points in 40 games), along with 39 penalty minutes. The Montreal depth chart may feature prolific names such as Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey among others, however, Greig is eager to see where she fits into the roster.

“I think that I could be used in a couple different ways,” Greig said. “I like to be kind of a grittier, hard-working forward. But with that, I have some playmaking and goal-scoring ability [...] I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of role I can play in this team under these coaches.”

Pressures of cracking the professional roster aside, should Greig make the team, she will no doubt run into a few familiar faces. When asked about which matchups she’s most looking forward to, Greig kept it vague while foreshadowing expected feelings.

“I think that just playing against old teammates from Colgate will be really cool. I have best friends on New York and Ottawa, so it’d be really cool to play against them,” she shared. “You get so close to people, playing with them throughout college, so yeah, it’ll definitely be a little weird, but I’m excited.”

All in all, the outlook of the season has much in store for Greig. Out of all that was discussed, the most enticing quality of playing in Montreal, according to Greig, is encountering the PWHL fans.

“It seems like the [Montreal] fanbase, it was awesome here and pretty unreal,” Greig said. “In college, it was pretty hit-or-miss whether you get fans on any given night, but it seems like, watching the PWHL last year, the fanbase was pretty insane. So, I’m excited to play in front of people and to get to know people afterwards and it seems like a lot of players are really close with their fanbase.”