DETROIT, MI (June 5, 2026) – PWHL Detroit made history today with the announcement of forward Daryl Watts as the team’s first-ever player following an Expansion Foundational Offer (EFO) ahead of the team’s inaugural 2026-27 season. Watts joins PWHL Detroit as a cornerstone player signed to a four-year Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Standard Player Agreement through the 2029-30 campaign and becomes the first of five players to be added to the team’s roster during Phase 2 of the PWHL’s Expansion Roster Distribution Process.
Watts joins PWHL Detroit as one of the most prolific offensive players in PWHL history. The 27-year-old ranks second all-time in goals (32) and is tied for third in points (63) after spending two seasons with the Toronto Sceptres (2024-26) and one season with Ottawa (2024). This past season, Watts led Toronto with 19 points (10G, 9A) and became the first player in the PWHL to score 10 or more goals in three straight seasons, leading her team in the category a third consecutive season. The Toronto, ON, native also became the second player in league history to reach 50 career points, achieving the milestone with a goal against the Minnesota Frost on Dec. 30, 2025. Watts made her Olympic Winter Games debut this year at Milano Cortina, earning a silver medal while leading Canada in points (2G, 6A). She also earned silver in her Canadian Women’s National Team debut at the 2025 Women’s Worlds. The 2018 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner, and the first freshman to ever earn the honor, played collegiately for Boston College and the University of Wisconsin. She earned WCHA Forward of the Year, WCHA Player of the Year and USCHO Player of the Year honors in 2020-21 — the same season she scored the overtime-winning goal that lifted the Badgers to the NCAA National Championship.
Each expansion team was granted one binding EFO to pursue a player on an expiring PWHL contract through a premium multi-year contract opportunity. Players who received an EFO were permitted to choose a contract length ranging from one to four years.
Phase 2 of the Expansion Player Distribution Process, which began Friday at 12 p.m. ET and continues until Monday, June 8 at 1 p.m. ET, allows each expansion team to build the foundation of its roster by acquiring five players through signings and, if necessary, a player selection process. Only players identified on an expansion team’s initial 20-player Exclusive Negotiation Target List are eligible to be signed during Phase 2. Existing teams can lose a maximum of three players who are under contract for the 2026-27 season during this phase. Read the full rules here.
A complete list of player signings and transactions is available on the official PWHL Transactions Page. To see the full overview of the status of PWHL player contracts ahead of Phase 2, visit the PWHL Contract Guide here.
ABOUT PWHL DETROIT
PWHL Detroit is one of 12 teams in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), which was founded in 2023. The PWHL began its inaugural season in January 2024 and features the best women’s hockey players in the world. PWHL Detroit was officially announced as one of the league’s four new expansion teams on May 6 and will debut at Little Caesars Arena in the fall. Fans can place a time-stamped deposit here, opens in a new tab to secure priority access to season tickets for PWHL Detroit’s historic inaugural season, once ticket packages are released. To learn more and stay up to date, visit DetroitPWHL.com, subscribe to the newsletter here, opens in a new tab and follow the team on Facebook PWHL Detroit, opens in a new tab, Instagram @PWHL__Detroit, opens in a new tab, X @PWHL__Detroit, opens in a new tab, TikTok @PWHL__Detroit, opens in a new tab, YouTube PWHL Detroit, opens in a new tab, Threads @PWHL__Detroit, opens in a new tab, and Bluesky @PWHL--Detroit, opens in a new tab.
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