What's the deal with Watts?

[Cpl37]

I know there has been a lot of talk, but how can the only Freshman winner of the best college female hockey player....

Transfer from a well regarded program, coached by a legend in women's hockey herself?

Start the season leading the country in points... and yet,

End up being excluded from Canada's national team roster.. which has a hard time scoring?!?!?!

Is this kid a problem? Is the Canadian national team off the rails?

 

[Ruikka Task]

May be they might not be the biggest fans of a girl who flaked out on her own crappy team to chase trophy's

 

[Lindsay]

I know there has been a lot of talk, but how can the only Freshman winner of the best college female hockey player....

Transfer from a well regarded program, coached by a legend in women's hockey herself?

Start the season leading the country in points... and yet,

End up being excluded from Canada's national team roster.. which has a hard time scoring?!?!?!

Is this kid a problem? Is the Canadian national team off the rails?

What is this in reference to? Something recent? Because Watts was invited to the summer development camp as far as I recall. Don’t think she played in it, but I assumed injury. The 30 names on Hockey Canada’s website for the 19-20 roster appears to be 30 women who are post college. I assume that’s how the women get funding for the hockey season, but it’s not necessarily the world’s roster.

If Watts tears up the WCHA, hopefully Canada will put her on the roster and she can do for Canada what Pankowski did for the US, coming out of Wisconsin after the college season.

 

[Cpl37]

Re Team Canada - you might be right that this is just a different philosophy. Eg: Team USA had 3-3 girls from the BC team on its 2018 squad.. when the best player on that team (Watts) did not make the runner up team.

Leaving BC... ? Just seems very odd. Cannot imagine a Heisman winner up and leaving his (very well respected and top tier ) program

What is this in reference to? Something recent? Because Watts was invited to the summer development camp as far as I recall. Don’t think she played in it, but I assumed injury. The 30 names on Hockey Canada’s website for the 19-20 roster appears to be 30 women who are post college. I assume that’s how the women get funding for the hockey season, but it’s not necessarily the world’s roster.

If Watts tears up the WCHA, hopefully Canada will put her on the roster and she can do for Canada what Pankowski did for the US, coming out of Wisconsin after the college season.

 

[pokechecker]

Re: What's the deal with Watts?

oh the drama of women's hockey

 

[ARM]

Re: What's the deal with Watts?

Cannot imagine a Heisman winner up and leaving his (very well respected and top tier ) program

They all do ... as soon as they're draft eligible. As for Watts, a case could be made that BC is a higher tier than UW, just like Clemson and Alabama are currently at a higher tier than USC and Michigan.

 

[joecct]

They all do ... as soon as they're draft eligible. As for Watts, a case could be made that BC is a higher tier than UW, just like Clemson and Alabama are currently at a higher tier than USC and Michigan.

Ah what?

 

[ARM]

Re: What's the deal with Watts?

Ah what?

Whoops! Although I'm sure that given enough keystrokes, Grant could convince us that what I erroneously typed is true. Heck, I could make a case that BC > UW, just not a very good one. But maybe by season's end ...

 

[Leather helmet]

Re: What's the deal with Watts?

Whoops! Although I'm sure that given enough keystrokes, Grant could convince us that what I erroneously typed is true. Heck, I could make a case that BC > UW, just not a very good one. But maybe by season's end ...

ARM, it is a sign of my respect that when I saw that line, my first thought was to doubt my own eyes and think I must have been mistaken about BC and UW. Then I assumed you were just trolling Tim.

 

[vicb]

Re: What's the deal with Watts?

ARM, it is a sign of my respect that when I saw that line, my first thought was to doubt my own eyes and think I must have been mistaken about BC and UW. Then I assumed you were just trolling Tim.

Me Too

 

[Timothy A]

Re: What's the deal with Watts?

ARM, it is a sign of my respect that when I saw that line, my first thought was to doubt my own eyes and think I must have been mistaken about BC and UW. Then I assumed you were just trolling Tim.

I just let it slide..... I'm a hard one to catch.

 

[NMH]

Re: What's the deal with Watts?

Hockey Canada has not shown a propensity for picking and developing younger talent in recent years, IMO. You could make an argument about Emily Clark, but she was immediately put in the senior team fold. I'm more talking about taking a younger player in at 20 or so and in a few years folding her into the senior squad. There's certainly an argument to be made that they were so deep that they didn't need to, but I do believe there's been a pretty serious lack of forward thought or focus on development. They've also been slow to recognize women that aren't already in their pipeline.

Loren Gabel didn't play her first senior tournament until the 2018 4 Nations Cup.

Elizabeth Giguere led the NCAA in scoring last year and wasn't even invited to Development Camp this summer.

Sarah Nurse was invited to some things in 2015 but didn't make an appearance again until she was with the development team at the 2017 Nations Cup. She joined the senior squad at the Four Nations tournament in November 2017 and then made the Olympic roster shortly thereafter. It was a quick turnaround.

Ann-Sophie Bettez was in the U-22 pool in 2009-10 and despite wining the CWHL Rookie of the Year, leading the league in scoring and being among the top scorers in the league for numerous years, she didn't debut with the senior team until last year, at the age of 31.

And those are just some examples off the top of my head...

That being said, there's been chatter about Watts that doesn't have anything to do with any issues at Hockey Canada. I think she's still pretty young and has growing up to do, regardless of age.

 

[Lindsay]

Re: What's the deal with Watts?

Hockey Canada roster for the November exhibition includes Maltais, Fillier and O’Neill from college but no Watts. Also 3 college D - Shelton, Zandee Hart and Thompson. At this point, I’ll move myself over to the I don’t get it crowd. I don’t get it. Who knows if you’d get a real answer but I’d like to see a reporter ask Hockey Canada what the deal with Watts is?

Of those 3 college forwards can any play center? Maybe that’s it? Wats went head to head with Maltais last weekend and had the edge. Bach, who is also on the roster (maybe a center?) , while excellent hasn’t really looked threatening vs the US. Personally I don’t feel like as fans we’ve had much of a chance to see Watts at the national level, I just don’t get it.

 

[ARM]

Re: What's the deal with Watts?

Wats went head to head with Maltais last weekend and had the edge.

Hockey Canada has a history of excluding players who had tremendous success at the NCAA level (Sara Bauer; Nicole Corriero). Don't know why, if the talent pool is too deep, or management is playing petty games.

As for Maltais and the head to head, I'm not sure that's a fair comparison when taking into account the other players on both teams. I think that Maltais has been as good as anyone in the WHCA over the last couple years, including averaging a point a game against Wisconsin. That's not easy to do against a Mark Johnson team when you're the player he is focused on stopping.

I agree that Watts deserves a national-team shot, but I wouldn't point at the likes of Maltais and Fillier and wonder why they are on the roster.

 

[Lindsay]

Hockey Canada has a history of excluding players who had tremendous success at the NCAA level (Sara Bauer; Nicole Corriero). Don't know why, if the talent pool is too deep, or management is playing petty games.

As for Maltais and the head to head, I'm not sure that's a fair comparison when taking into account the other players on both teams. I think that Maltais has been as good as anyone in the WHCA over the last couple years, including averaging a point a game against Wisconsin. That's not easy to do against a Mark Johnson team when you're the player he is focused on stopping.

I agree that Watts deserves a national-team shot, but I wouldn't point at the likes of Maltais and Fillier and wonder why they are on the roster.

Yea, I definitely like seeing Fillier and Maltais on the roster. Maltais is awesome - a point a game against Wisc is no joke. But 3.5 points a game against OSU is nuts! OSU is a solid team with some star power of its own. For two years it was argued Watts played a weak schedule, I think it would be unfair to now discount her results because of her quality of line mates. The Canada roster is without various mainstays - Agosta and Johnston. Tough to understand how even with those spots opening up Watts isn’t there. I’ll leave it at that because I don’t wish to take away from those who are there.

It’s more a curiosity - I’d like to hear Hockey Canada’s reasoning, and secondly it’s about wanting to see players I consider exciting in a true best on best environment. I so hope they can put together a league where we can see the very best play.

 

[shelfit]

Maybe her journaling skills aren't up to management's expectations.