Canadian Olympian Daryl Watts made PWHL Detroit history on Friday.
The 27-year-old forward was selected by general manager Manon Rheaume as Detroit’s first player in the league’s Expansion Roster Distribution Process.
Watts, who ranks second all-time in the PWHL with 32 goals with the Toronto Sceptres and Ottawa Charge, is the first of five players to be added to the roster.
Rheaume also added three gold medalists from the U.S. Olympic team: defenseman Cayla Barnes and forwards Hannah Bilka and Britta Curl-Salemme.
Phase 2 of the expansion draft continues until Monday at 1 p.m. Existing teams can lose a maximum of three players under contract for the 2026-27 season.
Daryl Watts
Watts made her Olympic Winter Games debut this year at Milano Cortina, earning a silver medal while leading Canada in points (2G, 6A). She also earned silver with Canada at the 2025 women’s world championships.
The Toronto native led the Sceptres with 19 points (10G, 9A) and became the first player in the PWHL to score 10 or more goals in three straight seasons,
The 2018 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner was the first freshman to ever earn the honor, playing collegiately for Boston College and the University of Wisconsin.
Cayla Barnes
Barnes, 27, appeared in 30 games for the Seattle Torrent during the 2025-26 season with eight points (3G, 5A) and stepped in to serve as alternate captain during the team’s leadership transition because of captain Hilary Knight’s midseason injury.
Originally selected with the fifth overall pick of the 2024 PWHL Draft by the Montréal Victoire, Barnes has represented the United States at each of the last three Olympic Winter Games, earning two gold medals (2018 and 2026) and a silver medal (2022).
Barnes played collegiately at Boston College and Ohio State and was a teammates with Hannah Bilka at both schools. The pair led the Buckeyes to the 2024 NCAA title.
Hannah Bilka
Bilka, 25, played in 14 games with the Seattle Torrent during the 2025-26 season with nine points (4G, 5A) before suffering an upper-body injury while representing the U.S. at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games that sidelined her for the remainder of the PWHL season.
The 25-year-old from Coppell, TX tied for the Olympic lead with four goals and earning All-Star honors at forward with seven points in seven games.
Originally selected fourth overall by the Boston Fleet in the 2024 PWHL Draft, Bilka played four collegiate seasons with Boston College before transferring to Ohio State, where she played alongside Barnes and led the Buckeyes in scoring.
Britta Curl-Salemme
Curl-Salemme, 26, spent the first two seasons of her career with the Minnesota Frost, who selected her ninth overall in the 2024 PWHL Draft.
She finished third in league scoring in 2025-26 with 29 points (11G, 18A) in 30 games, while her 18 assists set a new single-season record.
Internationally, Curl-Salemme won the Olympic gold with Team USA at the 2026 Winter Games in Milano Cortina, contributing five points (1G, 4A) in her debut.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: PWHL Detroit signs first player, three Olympic gold medalists
Reporting by The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
