How 'understated' Izzy Daniel found her way to the Toronto Sceptres top line

Toronto Sceptres GM Gina Kingsbury was surprised to see Izzy Daniel still on the draft board when Toronto made the final pick of the third round of the PWHL draft last June.

The forward from Minneapolis, Minn., had just become the first player for Cornell University to win the top prize for a player in women's NCAA hockey, the Patty Kazmaier Award. She finished her final college season with 59 points in 34 games. 

"She has incredible spatial awareness," Kingsbury said on the night of the draft. "She creates plays. She attracts space. She's very, very smart."

But despite her standout season at Cornell, Daniel had to wait a couple of rounds to hear her name called in a deep draft class that included national team regulars like Cayla Barnes and Hannah Bilka, as well as top European talent.

Before the draft, Daniel was asked by a reporter about her lack of experience playing with the American national team compared to other top prospects. She said she felt confident that people who talked to her and watched her play could see what she brings to the table.

"I just continue to try to prove myself and my game that I can play with the best in the world."

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It's not the first time Daniel has had to prove herself. The player her high school coach describes as "understated" both on and off the ice didn't take a linear path to the pros. She didn't make the elite USA Hockey teams along the way.

She didn't even start playing hockey until she was eight.

"To go from playing high school hockey in Minnesota to then winning the Patty Kazmaier Award four years or five years later down the road, it's just an incredible journey that she's had," Cornell's head coach, Doug Derraugh, said in an interview with CBC Sports.

So far, the pick has been shrewd for Toronto. Daniel has logged time on Toronto's top line, playing alongside Sarah Nurse. She registered her first professional goal in a 3-2 loss to Ottawa earlier this month.

Daniel and the Sceptres will host the Montreal Victoire at Coca-Cola Coliseum on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET. You can watch the game on CBC TV, CBC Gem and CBCSports.ca.

Daniel didn't grow up in a hockey family. No one played, until her father registered Izzy and her younger brother for an introduction to hockey program when she was eight. Most of the other players were five.

Shawn Reid remembers a "tiny" eighth grader showing up for the high school varsity team tryouts at The Blake School in Minnesota. She wasn't ready for the varsity team. But Reid took note of how crafty she was on the ice, despite her size.