Daryl Watts becomes highest-paid women’s hockey player

Daryl Watts has only played two games with the PHF’s Toronto Six, but she’s already the highest-paid player in the league.

Watts will make a record-setting $150,000 starting next season, which is the highest ever seen in women’s professional hockey. The PHF’s $750,000 salary cap is set to double to $1.5 million in 2023-24, with the salary floor being $1.125 million.

“The Toronto Six is an incredible program, and I feel really grateful and lucky to be able to join them mid-season,” Watts said last week after signing her contract. “I would say that the drawing point that has me here mid-season would be the doubling of the salary cap that occurred in December. That sparked my interest back in hockey because playing hockey has been a passion of mine from when I was a kid, and now financially, it’s a really viable option. I couldn’t be more excited.”

Despite limited pro experience, Watts joins the PHF as one of the most accomplished players in NCAA history. In five years between Boston College and the University of Wisconsin, Watts was named NCAA Rookie of the Year, the 2018 Patty Kazmaier Award winner as best player and won the 2021 championship with Wisconsin. She finished with 136 goals and 297 points in 172 games, finishing as the highest-scoring player from the past decade after besting Elizabeth Giguere by two points following their respective five-year runs.

The 23-year-old surpasses former Toronto Six and current Buffalo Beauts forward Mikyla Grant-Mentis as the highest-paid women’s player, who signed an $80,000 deal with Buffalo heading into 2022-23.

Watts has one assist in two games with the Six. The team will have the week off, with the PHF’s All-Star Game at Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto putting the league in the spotlight on Sunday. The Six currently sit second in the PHF standings, four points behind the Boston Pride.