PWHL Detroit has its first player in franchise history.
The team announced Friday that it has signed forward Daryl Watts to a four-year deal following an expansion foundational offer ahead of Detroit's inaugural season.
It is the first four-year contract in PWHL history.
Watts will eventually be joined by four other players set to be added to the team's roster during the second phase of the PWHL's expansion roster distribution process.
Watts, 27, played with the Ottawa Charge in the PWHL's first season and spent the past two years with the Toronto Sceptres.
She ranks second all-time in career goals with 32 and is tied for third in career points with 63.
In 2025-26 with the Sceptres, Watts led the team with 19 points (10 goals and nine assists) and made history as the first PWHL player to score 10 or more goals in three consecutive seasons.
The Toronto native made her Olympic debut this year at Milano Cortina this year, earning a silver medal while leading Canada in points (two goals and six assists).
She made her debut playing for the Canadian national women's team last year at the world championship, also earning silver.
Prior to turning professional, Watts played in the NCAA for Boston College and the University of Wisconsin.
Watts’ addition in Detroit was particularly notable in landing what’s called an Expansion Foundational Offer, guaranteeing her an annual salary of no less than $100,000. Under league rules, Watts chose the maximum term of four years, which the PWHL introduced as part of this year's expansion process.
Watts enjoys a raise over her $59,000 salary in Toronto last year. Sceptres general manager Gina Kingsbury on Thursday said she was closing in on a re-signing Watts before the player broke off negotiations.
Detroit also announced they signed former Seattle Torrent players Hannah Bilka and Cayla Barnes to a two-year and three-year standard player agreement, respectively.
Bilka, who won Olympic gold with the U.S. at Milano Cortina, had four goals and nine points in 14 games for the Torrent last season. The 25-year-old forward was selected fourth-overall by the Boston Fleet at the 2024 draft, playing her rookie season there before heading to Seattle in the 2025 expansion draft.
Barnes, who also won Olympic gold in February, also spent the 2025-26 season with the Torrent, potting three goals and eight points in 30 games.
A longtime member of the U.S. women's national team, the defender spent her first season in the PWHL with the Montreal Victoire before signing with the Torrent last off-season.
Detroit also signed Minnesota forward Britta Curl-Salemme to a three-year standard agreement. The 26-year-old U.S. Olympian finished third in the league last season with 29 points, including a single-season record of 18 assists.
— With files from Associated Press
