A native of
Cremona,
Alberta, Watt played Junior A hockey with the
Drumheller Dragons of the
Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) in 2003–04 before joining the
major junior ranks with the
Vancouver Giants of the
Western Hockey League (WHL) late in the season. Playing with the Giants, Watt won the
2006 President's Cup and the
2007 Memorial Cup championships. He played for the
Red Deer Rebels and the
Regina Pats in his final year of major junior. Watt was drafted after his second junior season by his hometown team, the
Calgary Flames (Cremona is approximately just 75 km outside of
Calgary), in the fourth round, 111th overall, in the
2005 NHL entry draft. In
2008–09, he was initially assigned to the Flames'
American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the
Quad City Flames, but was quickly reassigned to the
Las Vegas Wranglers of the
ECHL. On November 9, 2008, he recorded his first professional
hat trick and added an assist for a four-point night against the
Phoenix RoadRunners in a 6–2 win. Watt was recalled, however, by the Quad City Flames on December 8, 2008. He was suspended by the AHL late in the season for four games on February 24, 2009, after delivering a check to the head in a game against the
San Antonio Rampage. On January 5, 2011, the Calgary Flames announced that J.D. Watt's contract has been terminated effective immediately. "J.D. notified us on Monday that he was no longer interested in pursuing his career with the Calgary Flames organization," "He informed us of his decision and as a result, he was then suspended and cleared unconditional waivers this morning. We are moving forward in the best interests of the hockey club, our players in Abbotsford and the Flames organization." During the
2010–11 AHL season Watt played 27 games with the Abbotsford Heat, recording one goal and three assists for four points while accumulating 73 penalty minutes. On May 1, 2011, Watt left the
Calgary Flames' organization. As a professional, Watt was known for his abrasive style of play as an
agitator. During his eight years of play in the
Western Hockey League,
American Hockey League, and
ECHL, Watt was penalized for 117 fights. He joined the
SAIT Trojans with the 2012–13 season, and through his first season of
ACAC play, which included 28 regular season games and 8 playoff contests, Watt was not involved in a single fight. ==Awards==