In a vote of assistant coaches at the nation's NCAA Division I ice hockey programs, Boston College freshman forward Daryl Watts has been named the 2017-18 National Rookie of the Year in women's ice hockey. A native of Toronto, Ontario, Watts was previously honored with the 2018 Patty Kazmaier Award given to the best NCAA Division I player in the country, the first freshman to ever receive that honor. Watts is the fifth recipient of this award which was established in 2014 by the Women's Hockey Commissioners Association.
Watts had a phenomenal rookie season, leading the country in scoring with a line of 42-40-82 in 38 games for the Hockey East regular season champions. Her 42 goals were also the best in the country.
In addition, her 2.16 points per game was best in the NCAA and her 10 power play goals tied for best in the nation.
"She came to Boston College and made a significant impact on our game in just her first season," said Eagles head coach Katie Crowley. "Daryl goes out on the ice every day with the goal to get better and be a great teammate. While she gets attention for her awards, she'll be the first to credit her teammates for the help and support she's received from them this season to put her in this position."
The ballot for this award is made up of the conference Rookie of the Year selections. Each program playing NCAA Division I women's ice hockey receives a ballot, with assistant coaches at each school submitting one ballot per school. Each school was asked to vote for three players in order (first, second, third). The runner-up for this year's award was Clarkson University's freshman forward Elizabeth Giguere.
The Women's National Rookie of the Year was established in 2014 by the Women's Hockey Commissioners Association. Previous winners are Dani Cameranesi of Minnesota (2014), Annie Pankowski of Wisconsin (2015), Sarah Potomak of Minnesota (2016) and Jaycee Gebhard of Robert Morris (2017). A similar award, the Tim Taylor National Rookie of the Year Award, is presented by the men's commissioners.