Talk to Ottawa Charge players about Jocelyne Larocque and you’ll hear one word again and again used to describe the veteran defender: Leader.
As the oldest player in the league at 37, Larocque has found ways to be a leader on the Ottawa Charge in more ways than one. Her leadership role attached to donning the “A” on her jersey is one that she carries with a sense of pride and responsibility on and off the ice.
“She’s very much a leader for us within our organization, certainly on the back end,” head coach Carla MacLeod said. “We’ve always relied on her all season and she’s never let us down as a leader,” captain Brianne Jenner added.
Now, she’s become a leader in a more unexpected sense during the PWHL post-season. The league’s most veteran player also just so happens to be leading the Charge in points and ice time through the first two playoff games. After scoring a tip-in goal in Game 1, Larocque picked up a pair of assists in Game 2 — all the while logging an average of 24 minutes of ice time on the blue line.
As it would for most good leaders, her increased role on the ice isn’t driven by an individual mindset, but how she can best contribute to the group’s success. “I just want to help the team to be successful,” Larocque told reporters Tuesday. “Whatever amount of minutes I get, I just am trying to help the team succeed and win and play the way that I can.”
Over the past season-and-a-half playing in Ottawa, Larocque says she’s found her “sweet spot” in the team’s defensive structure under the helm of MacLeod. While she’s logging big minutes, it’s actually a reduction from the ice time she was seeing in Toronto. Before being traded to Ottawa on Dec. 31, 2024, Larocque averaged more than 27 minutes a game through the 28 outings with the Sceptres.
For Larocque, that reduction in ice time in Ottawa has helped her find her best hockey and rise to the post-season occasion. “My body feels great. I’m hitting a sweet spot,” she said.
While offence may not always be her calling card with just two regular-season goals in 82 games on her career stat line, her usage in Ottawa has helped her reclaim her title as one of the world’s best shutdown defenders. Now fully acclimated to a system that suits her playing style, she’s showcasing her high hockey IQ and starting to take some well-timed offensive chances.
She’s tallied two goals and five assists in 10 playoff games over her past two seasons with the Charge, while also riding a three-game post-season point streak dating back to last season. She’s even earned a spot on the Charge power play, which is a brand-new role for her on the team. But as a student of the game, she said it wasn’t a huge transition.
“I always made sure that even when I wasn’t on (the power play), I’m aware of plays that they’re trying to make, faceoffs, breakouts, things like that so I’m always read to go on it,” she said. “And now I am, which I’m thrilled about.”
