Daryl Watts (born May 15, 1999) is a Canadian women's ice hockey player for the

Toronto Six The Toronto Six is a professional women's ice hockey team based in Toronto playing out of Canlan Ice Sports – York. They are one of two Canadian teams in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) (formerly known as the National Women's Hockey League ...

of the

Premier Hockey Federation The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF), formerly the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), is a women's professional ice hockey league located in the United States and Canada. The league was established in 2015 with four league-owned teams and ha ...

. She previously played in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

, two seasons each for the

Boston College Eagles The Boston College Eagles are the athletic teams that represent Boston College, located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivisi ...

and the

Wisconsin Badgers The Wisconsin Badgers are the athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin). They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivisi ...

. Watts was awarded the 21st

Patty Kazmaier Award The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is given to the top female college ice hockey player in the United States. The award is presented during the women's annual ice hockey championship, the Frozen Four. The award was first presented in 1998. The awa ...

, becoming the first freshman player to win the award. Watts finished the season with 82 points, which led all competitors in NCAA women's ice hockey.

Playing career

Hockey Canada

Watts was a member of Canada’s entry at the 2016 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championships in St. Catharine’s, Ontario. Her first appearance in a

Hockey Canada Hockey Canada (which merged with the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association in 1994) is the national governing body of ice hockey and ice sledge hockey in Canada. It is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation and controls the majority ...

jersey took place in August 2015 as Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team challenged the United States in a three-game series in Lake Placid, New York. In the gold medal game of the 2017 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championships, contested at PSG Arena in Zlin, Czech Republic, Watts scored a goal for Canada in the third period, their first of the game. Although said goal would tie the game, the US would score twice in the final three minutes, prevailing in a 3-1 final.

NCAA

Boston College

Becoming the first freshman to win the Patty Kazmaier Award, Watts beat out finalists (and fellow Canadians) Victoria Bach of Boston University and Loren Gabel of Clarkson University. Of note, she became the second Patty Kazmaier Award winner in Eagles history, following

Alexandra Carpenter Alexandra "Alex" Carpenter (born April 13, 1994) is an American ice hockey player and member of the United States women's national team. She most recently played in the 2020–21 season of the Zhenskaya Hockey League (ZhHL) with the KRS Vanke ...

, who captured the honor in 2015. Watts’ end-to-end shorthanded goal against the University of New Hampshire was also recognized among the BC Eagles Athletics’ Top 10 Plays of the 2017-18 season, placing second. During her freshman season she led the NCAA in scoring and recorded 42 goals and 40 assists in 38 games. Her 2.16 points per game ranked first in the NCAA, while her 10 power play goals tied for best in the NCAA. Following an outstanding season she won both the Hockey East Player and Rookie of the Year Awards. She became only the second player in conference history to do so, tying a mark set by former Boston College player

Kelli Stack Kelli Allison Stack (born January 13, 1988) is an American former ice hockey forward, who played for Kunlun Red Star in the Canadian Women's Hockey League. She is a member of the United States women's national ice hockey team. Stack competed for ...

in 2006. She was also named the

Women's Hockey Commissioners Association National Rookie of the Year The Women's Hockey Commissioners Association National Rookie of the Year is awarded yearly to the rookie player in NCAA Division I women's college ice hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though lea ...

Wisconsin

In May 2019, Watts decided to enter the transfer portal and leave Boston College hockey. On June 10, 2019 she transferred to

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. During the 2019–20 season, she set a program record for most assists in one season with 49, while leading the NCAA with 74 points. Appearing in the 2021 NCAA National Collegiate Women's Ice Hockey Tournament versus the

Northeastern Huskies The Northeastern Huskies are the athletic teams representing Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. They compete in thirteen varsity team sports: men's and women's hockey (in Hockey East); men's baseball, men's and women's basketball ...

, Daryl Watts scored the game-winning goal in a 2-1 overtime win. With the win, the Badgers captured their sixth national championship in program history. It was part of a landmark 2020–21 season which saw Watts as a top-three finalist for the

, as she led the NCAA in goals scored and placed second nationally with 34 points.

Premier Hockey Federation

Toronto Six

On January 19, 2023, Watts signed a 2-year contract with the

of the

. On January 25, 2023, it was revealed that her contract carried an average annual value of $88,500 US ($118,000+ CDN) thereby making it "the highest salary ever announced for a professional women's hockey player in North America". On January 26, 2023, Watts revealed that her 2023-24 salary would be a league record $150,000 US.

Personal life

Watts was born and raised in Toronto. Her father, Michael, is a corporate lawyer who also acted as her daughter's agent when negotiating her PHF contract.

Career statistics

Hockey Canada

NCAA

Awards and honours

*2018

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

Athletics Female Rookie of the Year Award *2018 Cammi Granato Award, awarded to Women's Hockey East Player of the Year *2018 Hockey East Rookie of the Year *2018

*2017-18 First Team Hockey East *2018 Patty Kazmaier Award *National Rookie of the Month Award, January 2018 *CCM/AHCA 2018-19 Second Team All-American *CCM/AHCA 2019-20 Second Team All-American *2019-20 NCAA scoring champion (74 points) *2019-20 Wisconsin Badgers Offensive Player of the Year honors: (tied with Abby Roque). *2020-21 NCAA leader: points per game (1.79) *2020-21 NCAA leader: goals per game (0.89) *2020-21 NCAA leader (tied): goals (17) *2020-21 WCHA leader: game-winning goals (4) *2020-21 WCHA Player of the Year *Top-three Finalist: 2021 Patty Kazmaier Award *CCM/AHCA 2020-21 First Team All-American *2020-21 All-USCHO.com First Team *Hockey Commissioners Association Women’s Player of the Month (March 2021):

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Watts, Daryl 1999 births Boston College Eagles women's ice hockey players Canadian women's ice hockey forwards Living people Patty Kazmaier Award winners Ice hockey people from Toronto Toronto Six players Wisconsin Badgers women's ice hockey players