Naomi Boucher, a 20‑year‑old forward, heard her name called in the sixth round of the Premier Women’s Hockey League draft, a moment that capped a childhood spent chasing a hockey puck across continents.
Born in Rimouski, Quebec, she lived in Tampa, Florida, before the family settled in Switzerland, then Ottawa, and finally Montreal. Each relocation forced her to pick up new languages, and the Swiss stint taught her to embrace a rugged, physical style of play.
Her father, coach Guy Boucher, moved the family repeatedly for his career, a nomadic upbringing that left her bilingual and adaptable. At John Abbott College, under the tutelage of coach Noémie Marin, she refined that edge and began to see a clear path to the professional ranks.
A Path Forged by Experience
Watching the draft with her family in Saint‑Hilaire, Boucher felt a surge of excitement about joining the New York Sirens and bringing her hybrid skill set to the New York/New Jersey market. Though she now calls Montreal home, she knows the next chapter will demand both resilience and a willingness to grow.
The physicality she honed abroad now defines her on the ice, while her fluency in both English and French equips her for the diverse locker rooms she will encounter. As the Sirens prepare for their inaugural season, Boucher is already mapping out how she can contribute.
Beyond the rink, she remains connected to her roots, visiting her parents in Quebec and dreaming of representing Canada at the international level. The draft may be just the beginning, but for Boucher, the journey has always been about more than a single moment.