06/14/2026
Brighton graduate Shiann Darkangelo of the Montreal Victoire skates with the puck against the Ottawa Charge during Game 3 of the PWHL Walter Cup Final at Canadian Tire Centre on May 18. TROY PARLA/GETTY IMAGES
Brighton’s Darkangelo wins 3rd pro hockey title
Bill Khan
Livingston Daily
USA TODAY NETWORK – MICHIGAN
Movement from city to city is common in professional women’s hockey, but one thing remains constant for Brighton native Shiann Darkangelo.
Winning.
Darkangelo, who won a state lacrosse championship at Brighton in 2011, won her third pro hockey championship in her third different city and third different league when she helped the Montreal Victoire capture the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s Walter Cup on May 20.
She won the NWHL championship with the Buffalo Beauts in 2016-17 and the Premier Hockey Federation championship as captain of the Toronto Six in 2022-23.
Montreal is Darkangelo’s third city in the past three years since the launch of the PWHL in 2023. She previously played in Boston and Ottawa.
She signed a two-year contract with the Victoire before the season precisely to give herself a shot at a championship, although circumstances can change quickly in the PWHL.
“With constant change and expansion teams, it’s all about winning now,” Darkangelo said. “You’ll see that change a bit where you can build. Up until this point, you never know if you’re going to be on the same team, whether it’s your decision or not.
“You’re seeing if there’s other veterans and how it sets up. Montreal had a professional organization, and things were going in the right direction. I could add my skill set to add to the organiza-
June 14, 2026 4:21 am (GMT -4:00)
“I feel incredible on the ice. I feel like a
student of the game, continuing to learn. I feel I know more and I’m a little bit wiser than when I was a college player. You adapt as the game is changing. You never stop learning.”
Shiann Darkangelo
tion. It was a good balance of rookies and veterans; you need both.”
Darkangelo got the championship she was seeking when she signed with Montreal, as the Victoire beat her former Ottawa Charge team three games to one in a best-of-five championship series. She had one goal in nine playoff games after scoring four goals and four assists in 30 regular-season contests.
“It was absolutely incredible to be able to go to Montreal,” she said. “That was the goal, to win a championship. Obviously, like any season, there are ups and downs you’re trying to work through, getting the team to come together with different breaks and things. We had a very unique group of players.
We were a super relentless group who believed in the same common goal. You felt that in the playoffs in both series. It was a special group.”
Darkangelo has been playing pro hockey since 2015-16 in four different leagues. The establishment of the PWHL brought women’s hockey together in one unified league, showcasing the best players in the world.
The league had record-breaking attendance for women’s hockey this past season, drawing 15,938 fans to a game at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena as part of the PWHL Takeover Tour. The interest in that game was a contributing factor to Detroit recently being awarded a PWHL franchise.
“Having players all together is something we wanted from the beginning,” Darkangelo said. “It took different leagues to be here. Without those leagues, we wouldn’t be here. Without the people and investors, we wouldn’t be here. Having money and resources behind us to start this is incredible. The exposure the league continues to get is pretty incredible. The future definitely looks bright.”
Darkangelo, 32, plans to be part of the PWHL for as long as she feels like she can contribute. She is under contract with Montreal for next season.
“I feel amazing,” she said. “I feel incredible on the ice. I feel like a student of the game, continuing to learn. I feel I know more and I’m a little bit wiser than when I was as a college player. You adapt as the game is changing. You never stop learning.”
[email protected]@BillKhan
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