Clarkson's Matt Desrosiers Talks Nicole Gosling's Level-Headed Mindset Ahead of Her PWHL Debut

It's been a busy summer for Nicole Gosling. After being selected fourth overall in the 2025 PWHL Draft, she's been hard at work on the ice participating in Hockey Canada training camps and gearing up to make her professional debut with the Montréal Victoire.

En route to the big leagues, Gosling spent her last five years at Clarkson University under longtime head coach Matt Desrosiers. Helping the team to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances, she worked her way up to team captain in her fifth year, building a close relationship with Desrosiers in the process. Now as Gosling gets set to jump to the pros, her former coach shared that more than anything, she just can't wait to get going.

“She’s just excited for it all, right?” Desrosiers said, speaking in a recent interview. “It’s new to her. She’s trying to balance everything, with Hockey Canada stuff and getting prepared for professional hockey. It’s a different setup now, she’s used to the college landscape. … So I think she’s just excited to kind of experience it all and get things moving.”

Gosling’s rookie season is certain to come with challenges. Beyond just adjusting to the pace of the professional game, she’s slotting into a rebuilding Montréal blue line that suffered major losses this summer. And after disappointing in the playoffs for two straight seasons, the Victoire have high expectations coming into this year. It'll be an uphill battle for a rookie like Gosling to meet that standard, but Desrosiers is confident the young defender can handle that adversity well.

“She's got a really level head on her shoulders,” he said. “Nicole doesn't get too high or too low, she's pretty grounded. She's very good at understanding certain situations and reflecting on things. She pushes herself hard, but at the same time, she understands that some things are out of your control.”

A Rookie and a Veteran

In Montréal, Gosling will be joining forces with Clarkson alum and veteran blue liner Erin Ambrose. Having coached them both in his time with the Golden Knights, Desrosiers is quick to point out the similarities he sees between the two players in their style of play.

“Both of them are really good at slowing the game down when it needs to, but then also play fast and speed things up when they need to," he said. "They just have that ability from the back end to control the game and control the pace of the game, whichever your team needs in that particular moment. They’re both just very cerebral out there.”

This season, Ambrose has been open about wanting to find the back of the net more, after failing to do so last year. In pursuit of that goal, she may benefit from playing alongside a young defender like Gosling, who Desrosiers notes contributes on both ends of the ice with a great all-around skill set.

"Nicole waits for her opportunities to get on the offensive side and takes advantage of those," he said. "She doesn't try and press the issue too much, but when those opportunities are there, she definitely looks to take advantage of those. Just a great 200-foot defenceman that can play really hard and tough on the defensive side. She's got a little physicality and a little snarl to her game too, so a lot of tools in her toolbox."

Of course, Ambrose and Gosling know each other well from playing together with Team Canada. And Desrosiers shared that at this summer's draft, Ambrose had been hoping Gosling would end up with the Victoire.

"I know she was really excited once she (was drafted)," he said. "That's someone that she knows she could play with, who has the ability to be on the same level as her too. Erin’s always been really good about taking people under her wing, it's in her blood to take that kind of responsibility. So I'm sure that's something she'll do with Nicole once they get going here in Montréal.”

Community Values

Gosling’s value to the Montréal Victoire extends beyond what she brings on the ice. Since being drafted, she has already been seen out in the city meeting with fans and making a connection with her new community. Locked in on a three-year contract, Desrosiers spoke highly of what she'll bring to the city as a leader and a role model.

“I’ve seen it firsthand,” he said. “I have a three-year-old and she just adores Nicole, and Nicole has treated her like gold. ... She's very family and community oriented, so it doesn't surprise me that she's going to be someone that Montreal can kind of look to, to be that type of person and have that type of character. I think she'll fit in really well in that regard.”

While some Montrealers have already been fortunate enough to meet Gosling out and about, fans of the Victoire will get a first look at her on the ice this Sunday, when the team open their season against the Boston Fleet.