By Adam Floujeh
This past offseason saw the Toronto Sceptres land the best player available in Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) free agency, forward Daryl Watts.
The Toronto-born star inked a two-year deal with the Sceptres in June and has the perfect opportunity to make an immediate impression on fans come puck drop on Nov. 30.
The Sceptres were the top team in the 2024-25 regular season, finishing six points ahead of the second-place Montréal Victoire thanks to a record of 13-4-0-7. They ultimately fell in the first round of the PWHL playoffs to the eventual Walter Cup champions Minnesota Frost.
A major factor in the Sceptres’ loss was losing the league’s inaugural MVP Natalie Spooner after she suffered a knee injury in game three of that series, an injury that is keeping her out to this day. Spooner—who scored 20 goals and 27 points in 24 games played last year—will not be available for Toronto to start the season.
The Sceptres only scored a single goal in the final three games of their five-game series versus Minnesota.
Enter Watts, who the Sceptres signed out of free agency from the Ottawa Charge.
The Toronto product has won wherever she’s gone, whether it be at the collegiate level, where she won a National Championship with the Wisconsin Badgers in 2021 or at the pro level, where she helped the Toronto Six bring the Isobel Cup to her hometown in the now-defunct Premier Hockey Federation’s final season.
“I think everyone knows that [Watts] has the ability to impact the game offensively,” said Toronto Sceptres general manager Gina Kingsbury at a media availability on Tuesday.
“Obviously, with Natalie Spooner being out, that was very important to add some offence to our lineup and she certainly will be able to do that here this season with us.”
On an individual note, Watts’ accolades in the NCAA speak volumes. She sits fifth all-time in scoring in the women’s collegiate league. More recently, she caught fire while playing top-line minutes with Ottawa in 2023-2024, proving her ability to be a difference-maker at a pro level. Watts ended up leading the Charge—then PWHL Ottawa—with 10 goals and finished third in team scoring with 17 points in 24 games played.
At the media availability, Toronto Sceptres head coach Troy Ryan echoed Kingsbury’s statements on Watts’ importance in Spooner’s absence, while also shining a spotlight on the forward's openness to improve her game away from the puck.
“The one thing I really did like about her just recently is she showed…a little bit of offensive upside but also a willingness to be coached,” he said. “We had some conversations about some of the defensive aspects of the game and she was very open to making some adjustments, and seemed really, really keen on actually growing her game a little bit.”
If the motivation of potentially bringing another championship to her hometown isn’t enough, looking ahead to the 2026 Winter Olympics and the chance to play for Team Canada should be, given Ryan’s position as the national team’s head coach.
Watts got her first opportunity to wear the maple leaf since her youth—she previously wore it during two stints with the U18 team—earlier this month as part of the 2024-2025 Rivalry Series.
“It was a great experience. It's been a goal to finally put on that jersey and to play alongside some legends of the game was incredibly cool,’’ said Watts at a media availability for players on Wednesday. “I learned so much from the three games. It was nice too to just finally play hockey again.”
Watts expressed her excitement to play under Ryan, last season’s Coach of the Year and her former coach at the U18 level.
“Troy is obviously an incredible coach and I feel really fortunate to be able to be coached by him and play on his team this upcoming season,” Watts said. “Just to learn from one of the best coaches in the world is super exciting and I'm just so excited to build a relationship with him.”
With early indications that Watts will line up with Izzy Daniels and Sarah Nurse, there’s an opportunity for the team’s biggest new addition to develop chemistry with a national team regular right off the hop.
As much potential as Watts’ has on the ice, her current and former teammates see her bringing more to the squad. Sceptres goaltender and Watts’ former teammate with the Toronto Six, Carly ‘CJ’ Jackson, sees their reunion as something special.
“It's so fun because it's like seeing an old friend. We won a championship together with the Six and that's something you just never forget,” they said.
“It's really, really special to have people from old teams. It's like seeing your childhood buddy…having them around every day again is just really cherished.”
With files from Adriana Fallico.
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