PLAYER PROFILE – There are many notable players on the Toronto Sceptres organization, such as Natalie Spooner and Emma Maltais. There is also another player making her mark. This player is Daryl Watts, who is a 5’6” left-handed forward, playing for her hometown team, as she was born on May 15, 1999, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Daryl Watts: The Second PWHL Player To Reach 50 Points
Childhood
Watts talked about what it meant to grow up in Toronto and support the Toronto Maple Leafs, according to Brianne Spiker of TSN:
She also played with her brother as a child. This is what Watts said in Sonny Sachdeva’s Sportsnet article:
In the same article, she revealed that Ontario has many great players playing and that the PWHL is a great league for the girls and the entire world. It was also revealed that Watts’ role models for ice hockey are Sidney Crosby and Marie-Philip Poulin. She also gives credit to her father for being her biggest cheerleader, as she said this about her father, who brought in skills coaches for her and her brother, according to Emily Salder of Sportsnet:
“I would say he’s pretty intense, and my biggest fan,” Watts says of her dad, a corporate lawyer in Toronto.
Watts represented Canada at the 2017 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championships. She scored a goal for her team in the gold medal game against the U.S. but ended up losing to the Americans by a scoreline of 3-1.
Colleges
Boston College (2017-18, Boston College Eagles)
The program was launched in 1994 under head coach Tom O’Malley. She had many accolades, including:
She won four monthly awards from the Hockey Commissioners’ Association: Player of the Month once and Rookie of the Month three times.
Watts was also a four-time Hockey East Monthly Award winner: Player of the Month in October and Rookie of the Month in October, November, and January. She won a Hockey East weekly award nine times and was the Hockey East Player of the Week twice.
Furthermore, Watts also won seven times in the Hockey East Rookie of the Week.
She also won the Beanpot Championship game to win Beanpot MVP honors. Watts won four monthly awards from the Hockey Commissioners’ Association. Most importantly, she won the 2018 Patty Kaz Memorial Award, which is given to the best player in NCAA Division I women’s college ice hockey.
As a sophomore player, she earned the Hockey East Second Team All-Star, NEHW All-New England Team, Hockey East All-Tournament Team, and Hockey East Player of the Week.
This is what Boston College (BC) head coach Katie Crowley said about Watts and her ability with the puck, according to John Connolly of the Boston Globe:
A sentiment that still stands true today, as Watts is doing the same thing with the Toronto Sceptres.
Information above can be found at: Boston College Eagles Website
READ MORE: Emma Maltais: A Well-Known Toronto Sceptres Star
University of Wisconsin–Madison (2019-21, Wisconsin Badgers)
Watts played well for the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In the 2019-20 season, she played in 36 games, which helped the WCHA to win the regular season title. She also got 25 goals and led the NCAA with 49 assists. She also led the NCAA in points and was the only collegiate player to average more than 2.00 points per game.
She got the attention of the team as Wisconsin head coach, Mark Johnson, had this to say about Watts, according to Vicki L. Friedman of ESPN:
“Her skill set, her ability to understand the game and have good hockey sense sticks out quickly,” Johnson said. “When you watch her in practice, some of the shots she’s able to do or passes she makes, you don’t see from other players. When you see that vision, it sticks out. But then in games, she’s able to do the same thing.”
For the 2020-21 season, Watts took more of a leadership role. She co-captained her team and played in 21 games with the National Championship team and was a Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award top-three finalist.
Additionally, she was named a top 10 finalist for the 2020 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award.
Information above can be found at: Wisconsin Badgers Website
However, with limited playing opportunities in professional women’s ice hockey at the time, Watts was thinking of quitting ice hockey. She, in fact, was accepted into the University of Wisconsin’s master’s commercial real estate program, according to the Canadian Press.
That was until the Toronto Six came around and she got a salary of US$150,000 for the 2023-24 Premier Hockey Federation (PWF) season, which was a league record. This is what Watts had to say about that, according to the Canadian Press:
“I’m disclosing this because women’s hockey has been struggling for so long,” Watts said. “I’m so grateful and fortunate to be the recipient of this historic contract.
READ MORE: PWHL and NSL: A Bond Like No Other
Professional Sports Teams
Toronto Six (2023-24)
The last year of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) was a memorable one for Watts and the Toronto Six. With the Six, she played 12 games, scored three goals, and dished out four assists, for a total of seven points.
This included her providing an assist to a game-tying goal scored by Brittany Howard against the Connecticut Whale to force the game into overtime. The Six would win that game. If the Six lost that game, they would have been eliminated from the playoffs. They ended up winning game three by a scoreline of 3-0, before winning a thriller in the Isobel Cup Final against the Minnesota Whitecaps by a scoreline of 4-3 in overtime.
Then, the Toronto Six Manager, Angela James, played a role in Watts remaining in the game of ice hockey today. This is what she said about Watt,s according to Emily Sadler of Sportsnet:
PWHL Ottawa (2023-24, now called the Ottawa Charge)
With the folding of the PHF and the birth of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), there was a lot of movement in women’s ice hockey in 2023-24. With the inaugural PWHL draft in Toronto, she was selected 32nd overall and was picked in the sixth round of the 2023 PWHL draft.
In the PWHL’s inaugural season, Watts impressed, as she led the team with 10 goals scored. Her most important game with Ottawa might have been against PWHL Toronto (now called the Toronto Sceptres). In late March, Watts scored three of her ten goals against PWHL Toronto. This is what she said about the win, according to Lisa Wallace of The Canadian Press:
“It’s just great to build on,” said Watts. “And then come out of the break fast and furious.”
This win also ended the Sceptres’ 11-game winning streak. It is also ironic, as she would later that year sign a two-year deal with the Sceptres, according to Ashley McLellan of the PWHL.
READ MORE: Seattle Torrent Comes From Behind to Win at the TD Coliseum
Toronto Sceptres (2024-Present)
Watts took her game to a whole new level with the Sceptres. In the 2024-25 PWHL season, she had 12 goals and 15 assists, which resulted in a total of 27 points.
One of her most notable games came against her former team, the Ottawa Charge, at a PWHL Takeover Game in Edmonton, Alberta. Watts scored two of Toronto’s three goals, including the goal scored in overtime.
She has also been excelling for the Sceptres organization. Just this past month, she had a point in five of Toronto’s seven games in December, as said by the Chronicle Journal. This included a game-winner over the Montreal Victoire. As a result, she was named in the PWHL’s starting six. Watts also became one of just a few players to reach 50 career points in total.
Her performances have gotten the attention of the Sceptres organization. This includes fellow Sceptres teammate, Emma Woods, who said this about her, according to Nick Faris of the Score:
“She creates something every time she gets the puck on her stick,” Sceptres forward Emma Woods said.
Sceptres and the Canada Hockey Women’s National Team head coach, Troy Ryan, also had high praise for Watts, as mentioned in the Score’s article:
“There’s a gift there that’s really hard to explain,” said Troy Ryan, head coach of Toronto and Team Canada. “When she attacks people, her feet are always moving, and she always has her head up. As a defender, when you’re looking at her, I don’t think she looks easy to defend. She always looks in control. She looks like she’s got momentum and usually is building speed as she touches the puck.”
READ MORE: Natalie Spooner: A Vital Player for the Toronto Sceptres
Hockey Canada (2015-Present)
Watts began her career with the national team at the 2016 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship. She helped Canada earn two silver medals in 2016 and 2017, scoring in both finals. She made her debut with the senior national team in the 2024-25 Rivalry Series against the USA, as mentioned on the Canadian Olympic Committee website.
She then played with the national team at the IHF Women’s World Championship in 2025. She scored four goals in that competition and played a big part in Canada getting a silver medal.
This is what Marie-Philip Poulin said about Watts, according to Karissa Donkin of CBC Sports, when she was part of Canada’s centralization camp last year:
READ MORE: Emma Maltais: A Well-Known Toronto Sceptres Star
Games Coming Up for Daryl Watts
The game everyone will look to will be this Saturday against the Vancouver Goldeneyes at Scotiabank Arena. Nicknamed the “Battle on Bay Street,” the first-ever encounter between both Canadian teams was.
The game on January 17 will begin at 3 p.m. ET and will be televised nationally on Sportsnet, as mentioned on the Sceptres website.
READ MORE: Renata Fast: Versatile Toronto Sceptres Defender
Photo Credit: Toronto Sceptres X Account on January 3, 2026.
Excellent comprehensive article.