Devon Skeats
{{short description|Canadian ice hockey player}}
{{Infobox ice hockey player
| image =
| caption =
| image_size =
| alt =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1991|6|21|mf=y}}
| birth_place = Whitby, Ontario, Canada
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height_cm = 165
| weight_kg =
| position = Forward
| shoots = Left
| team =
| league =
| played_for = Markham Thunder
Buffalo Beauts
Neuberg Highlanders
Wilfrid Laurier University
| sex = f
| ntl_team =
| career_start = 2009
| career_end = 2019
}}
Devon Skeats is a retired Canadian ice hockey forward, who played for the Markham Thunder of the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) and the Buffalo Beauts of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), winning both an Isobel Cup and a Clarkson Cup.{{Cite web |last=Staffieri |first=Mark |date=March 30, 2018 |title=Devon Skeats Part of Special Championship Sorority |url=https://womenshockeylife.com/devon-skeats-part-of-special-championship-sorority/ |website=Women's Hockey Life |access-date=December 28, 2020 |archive-date=November 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124030621/https://womenshockeylife.com/devon-skeats-part-of-special-championship-sorority/ |url-status=live }}
Career
From 2009 to 2014, she attended Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, scoring 87 points in 117 USports games and winning three OUA championships, in 2010, 2012, and 2014.{{Cite web|url=https://www.laurierathletics.com/peopleprofile.php?PCID=16898&PeopleID=7642|title=Golden Hawk Athletics - Profile - Devon Skeats - LaurierAthletics.com|access-date=2020-12-28|archive-date=2017-09-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170927060010/https://www.laurierathletics.com/peopleprofile.php?PeopleID=7642&PCID=16898|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://thecord.ca/cis-finals-skeats-leads-hawks-over-x-women/|title=CIS finals: Skeats leads Hawks over X-Women|date=March 13, 2010|website=The Cord|access-date=December 30, 2020|archive-date=November 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128074530/https://thecord.ca/cis-finals-skeats-leads-hawks-over-x-women/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/deciding-game-in-oua-women-s-hockey-playoff-1.774433|title=Deciding game in OUA women's hockey playoff|date=February 27, 2012|website=Kitchener|access-date=December 28, 2020|archive-date=February 19, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230219191315/https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/deciding-game-in-oua-women-s-hockey-playoff-1.774433|url-status=live}}
After graduating, she moved to Austria to sign with the Neuberg Highlanders in the European Women's Hockey League. She scored 22 points in 19 games during the 2014-15 EWHL season, fourth in the league in goals, as the Highlanders finished in third place in the Austrian domestic cup. During the season, she also made an appearance for an Austrian men's Division III team.
When the NWHL was founded by Dani Rylan in 2015, she returned to North America to sign with the Buffalo Beauts, the first Canadian Interuniversity Sport player to sign in the league.{{Cite web|url=https://womenshockeylife.com/devon-skeats-becomes-first-cis-player-to-sign-a-contract-with-nwhl/|title=Devon Skeats Becomes First CIS Player to Sign a Contract with NWHL|first=Mark|last=Staffieri|date=July 21, 2015|access-date=December 28, 2020|archive-date=November 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129072246/https://womenshockeylife.com/devon-skeats-becomes-first-cis-player-to-sign-a-contract-with-nwhl/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.therecord.com/sports/waterloo-region/2015/07/11/fledgling-league-signs-former-golden-hawk.html|title=Fledgling league signs former Golden Hawk|date=July 11, 2015|website=therecord.com|access-date=December 30, 2020|archive-date=February 19, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230219191336/https://www.therecord.com/sports/waterloo-region/2015/07/11/fledgling-league-signs-former-golden-hawk.html|url-status=live}} After missing the first few games of the season due to visa issues, on the 15th of November 2015 she scored her first NWHL goal, becoming the first Canadian player to score in Beauts' history.{{Cite web |last=Burgess |first=Melissa |date=February 17, 2016 |title=NWHL: Devon Skeats Speeds Into Power Role with Beauts |url=https://victorypress.org/2016/02/17/nwhl-devon-skeats/ |website=The Victory Press |access-date=December 28, 2020 |archive-date=January 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115181133/https://victorypress.org/2016/02/17/nwhl-devon-skeats/ |url-status=live }} She named to the 1st NWHL All-Star Game via an online fan vote, garnering 4726 votes, and would become the first Canadian player to score in an NWHL all-star game during the match.{{Cite web|url=https://womenshockeylife.com/devon-skeats-makes-history-as-first-canadian-to-score-in-nwhl-all-star-game/|title=Devon Skeats Makes History as First Canadian to Score in NWHL All-Star Game|first=Mark|last=Staffieri|date=February 9, 2016|access-date=December 28, 2020|archive-date=December 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205021127/https://womenshockeylife.com/devon-skeats-makes-history-as-first-canadian-to-score-in-nwhl-all-star-game/|url-status=live}}
Her production dipped during the 2016–17 season, only notching six points in fifteen games for the Beauts. In February 2017, she received a suspension, violating the league's three strikes policy after being assessed penalties for two slew foot infractions and one hit from behind.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theicegarden.com/2020/1/3/21048630/nwhl-suspends-beauts-nikki-kirchberger-riveters-tatiana-shatalova-after-fight|title=NWHL suspends Kirchberger, Shatalova after fight|first=Michelle|last=Jay|date=January 3, 2020|website=The Ice Garden|access-date=December 28, 2020|archive-date=October 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022201501/https://www.theicegarden.com/2020/1/3/21048630/nwhl-suspends-beauts-nikki-kirchberger-riveters-tatiana-shatalova-after-fight|url-status=live}} The Beauts would finish the season as Isobel Cup champions.{{Cite web |last=Oliver |first=Nathaniel |date=March 29, 2017 |title=Catching up with Buffalo Beauts' Devon Skeats |url=https://thehockeywriters.com/catching-up-with-buffalo-beauts-devon-skeats/ |website=The Hockey Writers |access-date=December 28, 2020 |archive-date=September 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929115747/https://thehockeywriters.com/catching-up-with-buffalo-beauts-devon-skeats/ |url-status=live }}
For the 2017–18 season, she left the NWHL to join the Canadian Women's Hockey League's Markham Thunder.{{Cite web|url=https://womenshockeylife.com/devon-skeats-ready-to-make-history-with-markham-thunder/|title=Devon Skeats Ready to Make History with Markham Thunder|first=Mark|last=Staffieri|date=October 2, 2017|access-date=December 28, 2020|archive-date=January 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116142608/https://womenshockeylife.com/devon-skeats-ready-to-make-history-with-markham-thunder/|url-status=live}} She scored 6 points in 28 games in her debut CWHL season, as Markham won the Clarkson Cup.{{Cite web|url=https://www.laurierathletics.com/createarticle.php?ID=9543|title=Pair of WHKY alum capture 2018 Clarkson Cup - LaurierAthletics.com|access-date=2020-12-30|archive-date=2021-05-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514131107/https://www.laurierathletics.com/createarticle.php?ID=9543|url-status=live}}
Personal life
In 2015, she participated in the inaugural Women's Physical Readiness Evaluation for Police Challenge put on by the Ontario Police College, easily passing the police recruitment requirements.{{Cite web |last=Gillis |first=Wendy |date=August 16, 2015 |title=Police fitness test: Going through the motions of law enforcement |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2015/08/16/police-fitness-test-going-through-the-motions-of-law-enforcement.html |website=Toronto Star |access-date=December 28, 2020 |archive-date=June 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617173618/https://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2015/08/16/police-fitness-test-going-through-the-motions-of-law-enforcement.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Shaffer |first=Alyssa |date=November 10, 2015 |title=Meet the NWHL Athletes |url=https://www.muscleandfitness.com/muscle-fitness-hers/hers-athletes-celebrities/meet-nwhl-athletes/ |website=Muscle and Fitness |access-date=December 28, 2020 |archive-date=August 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811165129/https://www.muscleandfitness.com/muscle-fitness-hers/hers-athletes-celebrities/meet-nwhl-athletes/ |url-status=live }} She currently works as a police officer for the Toronto Police Service.{{Cite web|url=http://tpsnews.ca/stories/2019/04/new-careers-special-constables/|title=TPSNews.ca | Stories | New Careers for Special Constables|website=tpsnews.ca|access-date=2020-12-30|archive-date=2020-12-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215161626/https://tpsnews.ca/stories/2019/04/new-careers-special-constables/|url-status=live}}
In 2016, she became one of the first women to join the coaching staff of NHLer Wayne Simmonds' ball hockey charity Wayne's Road Hockey Warriors.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tsn.ca/simmonds-sees-brighter-days-ahead-for-flyers-1.523647|title=Simmonds sees brighter days ahead for Flyers - TSN.ca|author=TSN ca Staff|date=July 8, 2016|website=TSN|access-date=December 30, 2020|archive-date=December 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202043036/https://www.tsn.ca/simmonds-sees-brighter-days-ahead-for-flyers-1.523647|url-status=live}} In 2017, she became the first NWHL player to play for Canada at the International Street and Ball Hockey Federation Women's World Championships.{{Cite web|url=https://womenshockeylife.com/year-filled-with-memorable-milestones-for-dazzling-devon-skeats/|title=Year Filled with Memorable Milestones for Dazzling Devon Skeats|first=Mark|last=Staffieri|date=June 27, 2017|access-date=December 28, 2020|archive-date=January 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122125008/https://womenshockeylife.com/year-filled-with-memorable-milestones-for-dazzling-devon-skeats/|url-status=live}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Ice hockey stats|nhl=|elite=369316|espn=|euro=|hr=|hockeydb=203189|legendsm=|legends=|legendstype=|tsn=}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skeats, Devon}}
Category:Markham Thunder players
Category:Buffalo Beauts players