DETROIT, MI (June 21, 2026) – PWHL Detroit today announced the addition of three defenders signed to Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Standard Player Agreements ahead of the team’s inaugural 2026-27 season. Michigan native and three-year PWHL veteran Mellissa Channell-Watkins and two-year veteran Stephanie Markowski have each signed two-year agreements through the 2027-28 season, while Mia Biotti, who will be entering her second PWHL season, has signed a one-year agreement for 2026-27. The signings are the first for PWHL Detroit as part of the league’s Open Signing Period that began on Friday and allows all 12 teams to continue building their rosters in advance of the 2026-27 campaign.
Channell-Watkins, a native of Plymouth, MI, joins her hometown team after spending the 2025-26 season with the expansion Vancouver Goldeneyes, and two previous seasons with the Minnesota Frost where she won back-to-back Walter Cup titles. In 30 games in 2025-26, the 31-year-old recorded two assists and tied for fifth among defenders with 44 hits. In 83 career regular-season games, including two at Little Caesars Arena, she has 11 points (1G, 10A), while her nine career playoff points (1G, 8A) in 18 postseason games is tied for third all-time among defenders. Prior to turning pro, the Little Caesars product competed collegiately at the University of Wisconsin, notably scoring the game-winning goal in the 2017 NCAA Frozen Four semifinal with 17 seconds remaining to send the Badgers to the championship final.
Markowski entered the PWHL as the 20th overall selection by the Ottawa Charge in the fourth round of the 2024 Draft. The 24-year-old finished third on the team with a plus-6 rating in 2025-26 and has recorded 10 points (2G, 8A) in 58 career regular-season games, also appearing in 16 playoff contests across consecutive trips to the PWHL Walter Cup Finals. Collegiately, the Edmonton, AB, native played four seasons at Clarkson University (2019-23), serving as an alternate captain in 2022-23, then transferred to Ohio State where she won a National Championship with the Buckeyes in 2024 alongside Cayla Barnes and Hannah Bilka. Internationally, Markowski won a gold medal with Canada at the 2019 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship.
Biotti spent her rookie season with the Boston Fleet, earning a reserve contract following a training camp invitation. She made her PWHL debut at Little Caesars Arena on Jan. 3 and went on to record two assists in 13 regular-season games and saw action in two playoff contests. The 23-year-old from Cambridge, MA, played four seasons at Harvard University, serving as a team captain in her senior year, and earned Second-Team All-Ivy League honors along with ECAC All-Academic Team recognition, ACHA Scholar All-American distinction, and selection to the ECAC Commissioner’s List. Internationally, Biotti won a gold medal with the United States at the 2020 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship.
PWHL Detroit now has 13 players under contract with Biotti, Channell-Watkins and Markowski joining fellow defenders Barnes, Sydney Bard and Nina Jobst-Smith, along with forwards Bilka, Jesse Compher, Britta Curl-Salemme, Shiann Darkangelo, Taylor Girard, Hilary Knight and Daryl Watts. In the PWHL, Channell-Watkins played alongside Bard and Jobst-Smith in Vancouver and Curl-Salemme in Minnesota (2024-25), while Markowski was teammates with Darkangelo in Ottawa (2024-25).
The team also selected six players in the 2026 PWHL Draft presented by Upper Deck at the Fox Theatre last Wednesday, including four forwards, one defender, and one goaltender.
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, 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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