Ann-Renée Desbiens

Biography

Ann-Renée Desbiens is a two-time Olympic medallist, having won gold in women’s hockey at Beijing 2022 after a silver medal at PyeongChang 2018.

Desbiens was Team Canada’s primary goaltender en route to gold at Beijing 2022, starting five of seven games. That included the gold medal game in which she stopped 38 of 40 shots as Canada defeated the United States. In Canada’s preliminary round game against the Americans, Desbiens made 51 saves, the most ever by a Canadian goaltender—male or female—in an Olympic match. Desbiens allowed just nine goals on 150 shots in the entire tournament for a .940 save percentage and 1.80 goals against average. 

Four years earlier, Desbiens started Canada’s opening game at PyeongChang 2018, earning an 18-save shutout against the Olympic Athletes from Russia en route to the silver medal. 

Desbiens has won six medals (three gold, three silver) at the IIHF Women’s World Championship.

Desbiens made her IIHF Women’s World Championship debut in 2015, helping Canada win silver. She appeared in three games, recording a pair of shutouts, before the team lost to Team USA in the final. In October 2016 she sustained a concussion for her first serious hockey injury. She missed a month of competition before suiting up for the national team during the 2016 December Series against the United States. She suffered a knee injury during one of those games and it was a few months before it was stable again, thanks to a lot of physiotherapy, rehab exercises, and soft tissue work. 

Desbiens finally returned to Canada’s world championship roster in 2021, six years after her last appearance at the worlds. She started five games, including the gold medal game which Canada won 3-2 in overtime against the United States. Desbiens backstopped Canada to a second straight world title in 2022, posting a tournament-best 0.80 goals against average in five games. At the 2023 World Championship, Desbiens was named the Best Goaltender despite Canada losing the final to the USA. She was in the net again when Canada reclaimed the gold medal at the 2024 World Championship. Despite only recently recovering from a lower body injury, Desbiens appeared in four games at the 2025 World Championship, including the final in which Canada lost in overtime to the USA. 

Desbiens had previously worn the maple leaf as a member of the team that won silver at the 2011 IIHF World Women’s U18 Championship. She also competed with the U22 team for series against the United States in 2012 and 2014 before leading the national development team to a gold medal at the 2015 Nations Cup. 

Desbiens played four seasons at the University of Wisconsin before being selected by the Boston Pride in the first round of the 2016 NWHL draft. She posted remarkable numbers during her four-year collegiate career, highlighted by a 0.89 GAA and .955 save percentage with 99 wins, and an astounding 56 shutouts, an NCAA record for men and women. In 2015-16 she broke the NCAA single-season shutout record with 21 and was a top three finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award. In her senior season in 2016-17, she ranked first nationally in shutouts (17), wins (29), GAA (0.71) and save percentage (.963) to win the Patty Kazmaier Award as the top player in women’s NCAA hockey. Desbiens was a First Team All-American in 2016 and 2017. She reached the NCAA Frozen Four in all four years with the Badgers.

Before attending university, Desbiens made one start as a teenager in the 2012 CWHL playoffs for Montreal, who would go on to lift the Clarkson Cup. She took the 2018-19 season off, during which the CWHL ceased operations. When she resumed playing, she joined the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association and won the 2021 and 2023 Secret Cup, part of the Dream Gap Tour, with Montreal. Desbiens was in net for the Canada All-Stars during the women’s showcase at the 2020 NHL All-Star Game, defeating the United States All-Stars 2-1.

Desbiens was one of the first three players signed by the Montreal Victoire when the PWHL launched in 2023.  She was the PWHL Goaltender of the Year for 2024-25.

A Little More About Ann-Renée

Getting into the Sport: Started skating at age 3 and playing organized hockey at age 5… Her four older siblings all played hockey but she stuck with it because being at the rink was the highlight of her day… Didn’t want to be a goaltender, but as the youngest in the family she wasn’t given much of a choice; the same thing happened when she joined her first organized team… Outside Interests: Completed a Masters in Accounting in May 2019 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison… Would like to work in the administrative side of sport… Enjoys spending time with her dog Bamboo, doing puzzles, cooking, golfing, and road cycling… Odds and Ends: Current role models are women who have broken barriers in their respective sports, such as Billie Jean King, Serena Williams, Simone Biles, Caroline Ouellette, Manon Rhéaume… Favourite quote: “It’s a great day for hockey!” – Bob Johnson… Won a bronze medal with Quebec at the 2011 Canada Winter Games…