Mellissa Channell-Watkins
| Mellissa Channell-Watkins | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Channell with PWHL Minnesota in 2024 | |||
| Born |
December 16, 1994 Oakville, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (163 cm) | ||
| Weight | 130 lb (59 kg; 9 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| PWHL team Former teams |
Minnesota Frost Toronto Furies | ||
| Playing career | 2013–present | ||
Mellissa Channell-Watkins (born December 16, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Minnesota Frost of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). She previously played for the Toronto Furies of the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL). She played college ice hockey at Wisconsin.
Early life
[edit]Channell was born and raised in Canada before moving to Michigan to play hockey. She played two years with the Detroit Little Caesars U-16 program, and one year with the Little Caesar's U-19 team that won the state championship her freshman year of high school.[1] She then played for the Burlington Barracudas of the Provincial Women's Hockey League for two seasons, where she recorded seven goals and 30 assists in 57 games.[2]
College career
[edit]Channell began her collegiate career with the Wisconsin Badgers during the 2013–14 season. During her freshman year, she appeared in all 38 games and recorded two goals and ten assists. During the 2014–15 season, in her sophomore year, she recorded three goals and 17 assists in 36 games. During the 2015–16 season, in her junior year, she recorded three goals and 12 assists in 37 games. During the 2016–17 season, in her senior year, she recorded three goals and 14 assists in 36 games.[2] On March 17, 2017, during the 2017 NCAA Frozen Four semifinal game against Boston College, she scored the game-winning goal with 17 seconds remaining to send Wisconsin to the championship game.[3]
Professional career
[edit]Channell was drafted 11th overall by the Connecticut Whale in the 2016 NWHL Draft.[4] After not signing with the Whale, she was drafted 14th overall by the Toronto Furies in the 2018 CWHL Draft.[5] During the 2018–19 season, she recorded 12 assists in 28 games. She then played four seasons in the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA).[6]
On September 18, 2023, Channell was drafted in the tenth round, 59th overall, by PWHL Toronto in the 2023 PWHL draft.[7] After being placed on waivers by Toronto, she signed a one-year contract with PWHL Minnesota on December 22, 2023.[8] During the 2023–24 season, she recorded two assists in 24 regular season games and five assists in ten playoff games. During game five of the Walter Cup finals against PWHL Boston, she recorded three assists in the game to help Minnesota win the inaugural Walter Cup.[9][10] She became the first PWHL player to record three assists in a postseason game. Her three assists in the game exceeded her regular-season point total.[11]
Personal life
[edit]Channell is the daughter of former professional ice hockey player and current scout Craig Channell.[12]
Channell married Colin Watkins on June 22, 2024.[13]
Career statistics
[edit]| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2011–12 | Burlington Jr. Barracudas | Prov. WHL | 29 | 1 | 19 | 20 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 2012–13 | Burlington Jr. Barracudas | Prov. WHL | 28 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2013–14 | University of Wisconsin | WCHA | 38 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | University of Wisconsin | WCHA | 36 | 3 | 17 | 20 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | University of Wisconsin | WCHA | 37 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | University of Wisconsin | WCHA | 36 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Toronto Furies | CWHL | 28 | 0 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | Minnesota | PWHPA | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Team Harvey's | PWHPA | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | PWHL Minnesota | PWHL | 24 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | ||
| CWHL totals | 28 | 0 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||
| PWHL totals | 24 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | ||||
References
[edit]- ^ Stark, Mariah (January 12, 2024). "Get to Know the 2024 PWHL Minnesota Players". thehockeywriters.com. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ^ a b "Mellissa Channell Bio". uwbadgers.com. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ^ "Channell lifts No. 1 Badgers to NCAA title game". uwbadgers.com. March 17, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ^ "2016 NWHL Junior Entry Draft Recap". victorypress.org. June 22, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ^ Staffieri, Mark (February 18, 2019). "CWHL All-Star Series: Mellissa Channell". womenshockeylife.com. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ^ Burgess, Melissa (September 24, 2023). "PWHL Draft Recap: Toronto". victorypress.org. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ^ Bernasiewicz, Lukas (September 19, 2023). "Seven Oakville players selected in the 2023 PWHL Draft". oakvillenews.org. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ^ Kennedy, Ian (December 22, 2023). "Mellissa Channell Called An Asset In The Locker Room For Minnesota". The Hockey News. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ^ Blount, Rachel (May 29, 2024). "PWHL Minnesota lifts Walter Cup as league's first champion with Game 5 win over Boston". Star Tribune. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ Salvian, Hailey (May 29, 2024). "PWHL Minnesota wins first-ever Walter Cup championship". The Athletic. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ "Minnesota Claims First-Ever Walter Cup, Heise Voted Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP". thepwhl.com. May 29, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ^ "Monday's hockey: Pro women's league kicks off; Kraken win Winter Classic". The Detroit News. January 4, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ^ Weller, Kristine (June 28, 2024). "Lost in wedding day 'chaos,' Park City couple asks locals to help find their rings". kpcw.org. KPCW. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
External links
[edit]- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database