Toronto made the biggest splash on the first day of PWHL free agency on Friday, signing forward Daryl Watts to a two-year contract.
Before the draft, Toronto GM Gina Kingsbury said she was preparing for the possibility that leading scorer Natalie Spooner might not be ready to begin next season, as she recovers from knee surgery. Spooner scored nearly one-third of Toronto’s goals last season.
Enter Watts, who was Ottawa’s top goal-scorer last season, and the biggest name available on the PWHL free agent market. The 25-year-old had 17 points in 24 games, including 10 goals.
“She is an incredible offensive threat that has proven herself in this league,” Kingsbury said in a statement. “We felt adding some offence to our roster was an important piece to the puzzle.”
Watts, who is from Toronto, won a championship with the Premier Hockey Federation’s Toronto Six in 2023 before that league was bought by the PWHL’s owners and shut down to make way for the new league.
Watts is the second free agent Toronto lured to the team on Friday. Toronto also signed forward Emma Woods, who is from Burford, Ont., and was Watts’ teammate on that Toronto Six team. She had five points with New York last season, and could slot in as Toronto’s third-line centre.
Toronto also re-signed forward Hannah Miller to a one-year deal on Friday, bringing back the team’s fourth-leading scorer.
Miller, who Toronto selected in the 13th round of the 2023 draft, added 14 points in 23 games.
“Hannah was a key part of our team’s success in the inaugural season,” Kingsbury said. “She is a strong power forward that plays a 200-foot game.”
She played for the KRS Vanke Rays in the defunct Canadian Women’s Hockey League and the Zhenskaya Hockey League (ZhHL) in Russia, as well as for Djurgårdens IF in the Swedish Women’s Hockey League (SDHL), before returning to North America last season.
The league has agreed with the players’ union to not release specific salary amounts.
Montreal signs top draft pick
Montreal signed top draft pick Cayla Barnes for three seasons on the opening day of free agency, giving the team another top defender to build around.
Barnes won an Olympic gold medal with the United States in 2018, and is a two-time world champion. She scored 36 points en route to winning a national championship with the Ohio State University Buckeyes this past season. Montreal drafted the 25-year-old from Eastvale, Calif., fifth overall.
“Cayla will solidify our team at the blue line, even more so with her style of play which fits perfectly with ours,” Montreal GM Danièle Sauvageau said in a statement. “Since drafting her we have realized even more what a great person she is, and that she will fit in nicely with our team.”
WATCH | Meet the newest faces of PWHL Montreal:
Cayla Barnes and Jennifer Gardiner, who won an NCAA title as Ohio State teammates, were elated to both be selected by Montreal at the 2024 PWHL draft.
Montreal now has six defenders under contract for next season, including Erin Ambrose, who was named defender of the year earlier this month.
Barnes can contend for time on the power play and should ease the load on Ambrose, who played big minutes in all situations for Montreal last season.
Minnesota extends key pieces of championship team
Minnesota extended three forwards from its Walter Cup-winning team when the free agency window opened on Friday. Michela Cava and Liz Schepers signed one-year deals, while Denisa Křížová will be around for two more seasons.
Thunder Bay, Ont., native Cava was one of Minnesota’s best players in the playoffs on a line with Taylor Heise and Kendall Coyne Schofield, registering eight points in 10 games.
“She was an unbelievable playoff performer for us and proved once again that when games are on the line, she steps up and does whatever it takes to win,” Minnesota head coach Ken Klee said in a statement.
Schepers scored the Walter Cup-winning goal in Game 5 against Boston, and Křížová had six points in 24 regular season games.
Minnesota also signed two of its draft picks, forwards Britta Curl and Klára Hymlárová, to two year deals.
The team selected 24-year-old Curl in the second round of the draft earlier this month. She won three NCAA championships with the University of Wisconsin and a gold medal with the U.S. team at the world championship in 2023.
“She is an outstanding young player with all of the tools to be an impact player in this league for a long time,” Klee said.
Curl’s selection drew outrage among some PWHL fans due to posts she interacted with on social media, including some that were anti-LGBTQ+. She apologized earlier this month.
“I specifically recognize that my social media activity has resulted in hurt being felt across communities including LGBTQ+ and BIPOC individuals, and I just want to apologize and take ownership of that,” Curl said in a video statement.
Hymlárová is a two-time world championship bronze medallist with the Czech Republic. She played both forward and defense with St. Cloud State University last season, and was drafted by Minnesota in the third round.
“She is a versatile player who can fit many different roles for us which is vital,” Klee said. “She also is a fierce competitor who brings valuable international experience.”
Elsewhere in the league, New York extended backup goaltender Abbey Levy for another year.
The 24-year-old posted a .906 save percentage over eight games with New York last season, behind starter Corinne Schroeder. New York also extended Schroeder, who was nominated as goaltender of the year, for two seasons earlier this month.
“Knowing that Abbey is back and part of our group of goalkeepers not only makes our team better but also improves every teammate who is part of it,” New York GM Pascal Daoust said in a statement.
“At her age, her size, and her skills, she is undoubtedly a good athlete with whom we can continue to develop her potential, performance, and achieve our greatest goals.”
In Boston, forward Lexie Adzija was extended for another year. Acquired at the trade deadline from Ottawa, St. Thomas, Ont., native Adzija was the team’s third-line centre through a run to the PWHL Walter Cup final.
“Lexie is an absolute competitor and a detailed player who cares about all three zones,” PWHL Boston GM Danielle Marmer said.
“We’re not only excited about what she brings on the ice, but off the ice she has the most contagious energy. She has a special way of interacting with the fans that means a lot to our community and the city of Boston.”
Training camps are expected to open in November for the next PWHL season, which will begin toward the end of the year.