In Park City, Utah, two PWHL Detroit players share the ice to train. One is the most well-known American player in the women’s game. The other flies a bit more under the radar, despite being a two-time Walter Cup champion.
“It’s tough being in Park City because it’s just Hilary (Knight) and I, so we skate together,” Mellissa Channell-Watkins told The Ice Garden in a recent interview. “We’re not like most markets where they’re doing full ice drills… It’s been a little bit of a grind.”
While the location is a bit more remote, the quality of competition is high.
“I’m happy to play with her this year, not against her,” Channell-Watkins added. “I’m getting kind of sick of playing against her.”
Despite their variable levels of notoriety, both veterans will play an integral part for PWHL Detroit in its inaugural season.
Homecoming
For Channell-Watkins, the journey to professional hockey is rooted in Detroit. In her youth, she played three seasons for the Little Caesars hockey organization before leaving for the University of Wisconsin. However, her connections to the city didn’t end there. She returned to coach that same Little Caesars 16U team for two years, when the PWHL was still just a dream.
“They (the 16U team) were incredible,” Channell-Watkins said. “That group of girls is the reason why I continued to play. I saw the potential they all had; they’re too good to be done after college.”
The relationships built during those years helped orchestrate a return.
“I had an inkling Detroit was getting a team,” she said. “I worked with Manon [Rhéaume] while I played and coached at Little Caesars, so we kept in touch all through the years.” Mellissa id she “really leaned on her last year,” and “all of a sudden, she just went ghost on me.”
Then came the league’s team announcement on May 6 and the subsequent hiring of Rhéaume as General Manager. Finally came the open signing period.
“When the window opened, she’s like I’m so sorry, we weren’t allowed to speak,” said Channell-Watkins, adding that it’s “hard to turn down playing in front of your hometown.” On June 21, she officially inked a 2-year contract.
Coaching Insights
It wasn’t just the ties to Detroit that led Channell-Watkins to sign in Hockeytown.
“I wasn’t really expecting to leave Vancouver just because it’s such an amazing city. But once I had conversations with Manon and the coaching staff in Detroit, I knew that’s where I wanted to end up,” she said. “The professionalism that they brought to us through those meetings was incredible.”
In her first two PWHL seasons with the Minnesota Frost, the team was back-to-back Walter Cup champions.
“The things we did in Minnesota… it was just very professional,” she said. “Ken Klee was probably one of the best coaches I’ve ever played for, and I think he has the same aspects as (Josh Sciba).”
Channell-Watkins added that Sciba is “going to be able to find what somebody is good at and make sure that they bring their best every day.”
Through last year’s expansion process, Channell-Watkins joined the Vancouver Goldeneyes for their inaugural season. When asked what lessons she can take from that experience, she noted that “everyone knows what their role is, and I think [Sciba] has a really good grasp on that.”
Communication and team chemistry were other big themes, Channell-Watkins emphasized.
“Leaning on those girls who have been through the process… Hilary [Knight] went through expansion too, so she’s going to come with a lot of experience,” she said.
“No one person is more important than the next,” she added. “People have been saying oh you’re such a top-heavy team, but our depth players are just as good. We have such a solid team throughout our lineup.”
The Teammate
Role clarity is important to finding their footing as a team, and Channell-Watkins knows her style of play.
“You know, I’m not the biggest player out there, but I’m going to hold my ground, and I’m going to play hard shift in and shift out. I’d rather shut down somebody’s first line than go out and be the one to score all the goals,” she said.
“I think something I’m really good at is being able to break the puck out. If we can do that, we don’t have to play in the D zone as much,” she added. “If I’m on the ice and I look up and see Darryl Watts, Hilary Knight and Jesse Compher, they’re gonna get the puck. They’re the ones who need it. I’ll just be back here holding down the fort.”
Beyond the play on the ice, Channell-Watkins describes her role as a great teammate.
“I’m one of the elder players nowadays… being an open ear for the girls who might not be having the season they want, performing how they want or playing as much as they want,” she said. Describing herself as a ‘grounding’ person, she added “I’m gonna hype everybody up. I don’t care if you come off, if we just got scored on. I don’t care. Move on. We’re gonna do better.”
Channell-Watkins prides herself on helping set the tone and energy of the bench.
“I think if your bench is loud and confident, then players on the ice are going to be confident as well,” she said.
Connections
Channell-Watkins was quick to praise fellow Detroit defenders Sydney Bard and Nina Jobst-Smith, having had a front row seat to their development last year in Vancouver.
“(Bard) was a shot blocking machine last year. Again, she’s not the biggest player ever. But she’s gonna throw the body around and she’s gonna block shots,” she said. “She’s just one of the best human beings to walk planet Earth.”
Bard and Jobst-Smith were paired together for much of last year and enter the season with Detroit with built-in chemistry.
“I keep telling people, just wait. These two are gonna have a great season,” Channell-Watkins added of the pair.
While she has crossed paths with many of Detroit’s players in the past, Channell-Watkins has a particular connection to Detroit’s second round draft pick, Casey Borgiel.
“I coached her for two years when she was 16 years old,” Channell-Watkins said. Even at that age, she said, “there was something special about her.”
“We always joke like ‘oh, I’m gonna play against you one day and now it’s like, holy hell, I’m your teammate,” Channell-Watkins added.
Watching on draft night, it was a big moment for Channell-Watkins.
“We select Casey, and I scream [and] drop my phone,” she said. “I’m super excited to have that front-row seat of seeing her blossom in the professional league.”
Safe to say the veteran defender is a big fan of the team’s youngest blueliner. PWHL Detroit fans won’t have to wait much longer to see them both in action, as the season begins in early December.
