WATTS MAKES NLL DEBUT IN FRONT OF HOMETOWN FANS

It was fitting that Feb. 3 was Youth Lacrosse Night in Buffalo, as East Aurora, NY, native Christian Watts made his professional lacrosse debut with the hometown Buffalo Bandits.

Prior to the game, Buffalo Bandits’ players wore jerseys of local lacrosse teams during warmups. For Watts, it was a chance to don the green and gold jersey of the Bishop Timon-St. Jude Tigers in front of the packed house in Banditland.

Having excelled at the South Buffalo school, Watts went on to stardom at Siena College and then in the Upstate Collegiate College Box Lacrosse League (UCBLL). In the UCBLL, he learned the intricacies of the box game from NLL players and current teammates Josh Byrne, Dhane Smith, Ian MacKay and Chris Cloutier.

“It was huge. I played with people who coached me. I learned a ton from Josh, Dhane, Mickey (MacKay) and Clooch (Cloutier),” said Watts. “It was great having them coach me, and then playing against some of the other coaches in the league was pretty cool. They have all been great role models for me. My (box) IQ was pretty low before I entered the UCBLL. I greatly improved my IQ and am very fortunate for that.”

This past summer, Watts again led the Rapids to the UCBLL Finals and repeated as team MVP.  He led the league in points in both seasons, posting 52 (23+29) in 2022 and 63 (40+23) in 2023. Watts finished his career with a league-record 115 points (63+52). He joined Nick Miller as the second UCBLL player to break 100 career points.

“Christian Watts is not only an incredible talent with his stick in his hands, but also an amazing leader,” said Cloutier after Watts was awarded team MVP in 2023. “He does everything that’s asked of him, hasn’t missed a practice or game all summer, and is the voice behind the Rapids.”

The 6-foot-4 forward signed a two-year deal with Buffalo after completing his second season in the UCBLL with the Rapids. Buffalo chose him in the fifth round (82nd overall) of the 2022 NLL Entry Draft. Watts had an impressive start to his first NLL training Camp, posting three goals and one assist in his first two preseason contests for the Bandits. It was everything he dreamed of while growing up a Bandits fan.

"It has been unreal playing with those guys because you look up to them your whole life," said Watts. "Finally playing with them has been a surreal experience. They know so much about the game. I try to be a sponge and soak up everything I can."

On Nov. 27, Watts was named to the practice roster, putting him one step closer to his dream of wearing the orange and black in an NLL game. That goal was achieved on Feb. 3, when he was activated against the Rochester Knighthawks. Finally, his time had come after weeks of practicing with the team.

Before the game, he was offered advice from plenty of the Buffalo veteran players. But it was the words of Kyle Buchanan that resonated with the rookie.

“He gave me the most information for sure,” said Watts. “He was just saying, ‘Just play your game, don't try and do too much. Just go with the flow of the game, and good things happen.’’

With his family and friends in attendance at KeyBank Center, he was introduced by legendary Bandits public address announcer Chris Swenson. The buildup was something he will never forget.

“It was surreal hearing the crowd and knowing I was the next one up,” said Watts. “Once I hit the floor, I calmed down and was ready to play.”

Watts was immersed in the I-90 rivalry with the Knighthawks in his professional debut. On one of his first shifts, he picked up his first pro point/assist as Chase Fraser scored to tie the contest at one at 4:47 of the first. Watts had some chances in the contest as he fired three shots at Rochester goalie Riley Hutchcraft. In the end, the Bandits held on to defeat Rochester 15-14.

“I tried to do my best. It ended up working out, and we got the win,” said Watts. “I couldn't be happier about that. And then I got my first assist; obviously, that was huge. And then just getting other guys open made me feel even better about playing. That was awesome.”

Watts, as teams do to rookies, then led the victory lap around the rink with his teammates watching in reserve.

“That was pretty cool. Honestly, it was very surprising because I thought they were messing with me,” he said. “That was definitely a cool experience. I mean, once I realized that everybody was following me, it made me feel a little better.”

“That was really cool, though, just being able to see all the fans be excited for us for a win,” added Watts. “I've been looking forward to that pretty much my whole life. When I was 11 years old, and I picked up a stick, my goal was always to play professional lacrosse and to be able to experience a win and a Bandits win. It was a feeling like no other; I didn't want the game to end.”