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A signing that goes beyond simply adding depth
Lausanne HC Féminin is not merely recruiting another forward to round out its roster. With Maya Labad, the Swiss club is adding a 24-year-old player who arrives with an already substantial background, spanning Quebec development, American college hockey and a stint in the PWHL. For a team entering a new phase in the PostFinance Women’s League, this type of profile sends a clear message: Lausanne wants to build quickly, but with players capable of driving play.
Labad arrives from the Montréal Victoire, where her name took on another dimension after the 2025 PWHL Draft.
Labad arrives from the Montréal Victoire, where her name took on another dimension after the 2025 PWHL Draft. Selected in the fifth round, 36th overall, she joined a highly visible organization in North American women’s hockey. Her ice time in the PWHL was not extensive, but the experience matters: high-level practices, intense internal competition, adapting to a professional environment and being part of a championship-winning group.
For Lausanne, the appeal is obvious. The club is acquiring a player who is still young but already accustomed to demanding environments. This is not the gamble of an established star coming to Europe to manage her career. It is instead the gamble on an advanced developmental forward, with genuine upside and clear sporting motivation.
A trajectory built on production
Labad’s profile is based first and foremost on offense. At Quinnipiac, she established herself as a consistent goal scorer, with production that confirms her ability to make an impact in dangerous areas. Lausanne HC highlights her 51 goals and 47 assists in 147 NCAA games, a sufficiently strong output to understand what the club is seeking: speed, offensive aggression and a player capable of turning sequences into tangible scoring chances.
Her Canadian background adds another layer. Originally from Mascouche, having come through Quebec structures and the national U18 program, Labad was exposed to high standards early on. She also represented Canada at the youth level, which provides context for her development. These are not merely résumé lines: in women’s hockey, where professional pathways are still taking shape, every high-level competitive environment contributes significantly to a player’s progression.
The PWHL Draft confirmed that recognition. The league ranked Labad among the players selected by Montréal in 2025, while specialized databases and university sources confirm her time at Quinnipiac. Taken together, this body of evidence makes the Lausanne signing reliable and coherent. Lausanne is not betting on an isolated name, but on a verifiable trajectory.
Lausanne is seeking an offensive identity
The local challenge will now be integration. The PostFinance Women’s League is neither the NCAA nor the PWHL. The space available, pace, roster structure and responsibilities can all change. Labad will likely have to carry more offensive weight than she did in Montréal, where depth and competition naturally limited her role.
That is precisely what makes the move interesting. Lausanne is offering Labad a stage on which to establish herself, not merely a destination. The player described the challenge as an opportunity to discover a new league and build something with the Lionesses. That wording fits the club’s current moment: LHC Féminin is looking to grow, assert its identity and establish benchmarks in a league where ambition must quickly translate onto the ice.
If Labad brings her shot, her forechecking activity and her presence in the offensive zones, Lausanne will gain more than a statistical line. The club will add a player capable of changing a line’s tempo, creating pressure and drawing defensive attention. For a team under construction, this kind of engine can accelerate its collective identity.
The signing remains a gamble, as does any transatlantic move. But it is a clear, well-documented and sporting gamble. Lausanne is not merely adding PWHL pedigree: it is acquiring a forward in need of a larger role, at a time when the club needs players capable of taking one.