Calder Cup Champions - 2013 & 2017
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COMBUSTIBLE ENERGY

Jan 31, 2025
Written By: Andrew Streitel

NHL veteran Austin Watson has helped fuel the first-half success of the Griffins.

Story and photo by Mark Newman

        If you're looking for a strong silent type to lead your hockey team, you might want to look in the opposite direction of Austin Watson, a veteran of 500-plus NHL games who is the antithesis of the saying, "speak softly and carry a big stick."

       "Soft" is not in his vocabulary.

        "He's our engine," said Griffins head coach Dan Watson, who is unrelated to his bruising winger. "He keeps everybody going. He provides the spark before games, during games, and at practice. He's fun to be around, but when it's game time, he's serious. He wants to win.

        "He keeps everyone on their toes. He holds guys accountable within the room. If he's not around, it's not a loud room. It's a more quiet room. He has that contagious energy that's infectious, and that's what we want. He makes the team go."

        Entering this season, Watson did not expect to end up in the AHL. It had been a full decade since he last played as a regular in the minors, so he did not have playing for the Griffins on his bingo card.

        At age 33, he also never expected to be a first-time all-star, but he was looking forward to heading to the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic in Palm Desert, California, with both his head coach and teammate/goaltender Sebastian Cossa on Feb. 2-3.

        Watson played a couple of NHL games with the Red Wings earlier this season but has spent most of the year in Grand Rapids. He has been intent on making the most of the opportunity.

        Having played for winning teams throughout his career, the Ann Arbor, Michigan, native feels fortunate to be enjoying hockey again after weathering his share of ups and downs. "Absolutely – I'm definitely having fun," he said. "It helps when you have a good group."

        As a youth, he learned what winning was all about – first with the Compuware teams in Detroit and later during junior hockey in Canada. He has bookend titles to show for his time in the OHL, winning with the Windsor Spitfires in 2009 and the London Knights in 2012.

        His two seasons in Windsor were especially important to his development.

        The Spitfires' coaching staff included former NHL defenseman Bob Boughner (who had been an associate head coach with the Red Wings until the firing of Derek Lalonde in December); Bob Jones (the former Ottawa Senators assistant coach who died of ALS this past summer at the age of 54); and D.J. Smith (now an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Kings after five seasons behind the bench in Ottawa).

        "We had an unbelievable team, first of all, but the demand for setting a standard was high," he said. "They were spectacular coaches and I learned how to play the right way. It's the way they had played the game themselves. Boughner played the game physically, played the game to win, and did the little things right.

        "To have those guys as your coaches when you're 16 years old, I was fortunate. I'm lucky. I learned how to play the right way and that's all I know. I only know one way to play the game, and that's to do whatever it takes to win. And I learned that at 16 years old."

        Watson eventually found his way to the Peterborough Petes, where he became a solid point-per-game offensive threat. During the 2009-10 campaign, he was traded midseason to the London Knights, a young team with championship aspirations.

         "I was brought in to play a different role, but with the same goal – to win," he said. "I was a younger guy on that Windsor team and when I went to London, it was to be an older guy, to be an offensive catalyst, and to be a 25-minute-a-night player to help that team get over the hump. We had a really special playoff run and reached the finals in the Memorial Cup, only to come up one goal short."

        Watson said it was a cohesive group that was more interested in team success than individual accomplishments.

        "We were stacked but nobody knew how good all those guys were going to be," he said. "We had Max Domi, Bo Horvat, Olli Maata, Chris Tierney, Josh Anderson, and Andreas Athanasiou – all 16 or 17 and future NHLers, but they were all young, except for me, [Vladislav] Namestnikov, and a couple of others who were 18 or 19.

        "They were still a little raw but they would win another championship the next year. I think when you have that type of success and you have that type of mentorship and leadership from the coaches, you pick up things, you learn things, and you absorb those winning habits that help shape you into the player you are today."

        Watson was a first-round draft pick, chosen No. 18 overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft – a fact that became somewhat shrouded by his subsequent career. "People act surprised when I can play some good hockey," he said.

        Indeed, Watson showed his scoring prowess by collecting seven points in one game, scoring a natural hat trick and adding four assists, to help the U.S. beat Latvia in the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship. He was the leading scorer for the U.S. team in the tournament. "People tend to choose what to see and what not to see no matter how far you've come."

        He started his pro career in the AHL with the Milwaukee Admirals, the top farm club of the Predators.

        Watson enjoyed three consecutive 20-goal seasons in Milwaukee, topped with a 26-goal campaign in 2014-15, his last full year in the AHL.

        "I hate to wonder where I might be had some things not happened, what opportunities I might have gotten through the years," he said. "But then again, you make your bed, you sleep in it, and some of those things that happened were very much in my hands, but it is what it is.

        "You work with what you got, and I'm still at the door kicking and screaming. I don't go away very easily and after 500-plus games in the NHL, I'm still here, just doing my thing."

        But Watson first had to learn a valuable lesson. It's hard to get to the NHL, but it's even harder to stay.

        "I think I understood how to play a role," he said. "What I didn't understand was how to stand out, how to be effective, how to be better than all the other guys who are trying to play that role. Some guys make a career out of playing in the bottom six in the NHL, and some other guys go up and down and don't ever grab a foothold.

        "In my opinion – and this is opinion – the guys who stick around find a way to separate themselves from the pack."

        He made the jump to the NHL on a full-time basis during the 2015-16 season.

       "During my first year [in the NHL], I would say I didn't understand how to separate myself. I played 50-odd games but I got scratched a lot. I hadn't figured out how to make more of an impact in the game inside of those 8-10 minutes. I didn't play in the playoffs and I kinda lost my grab on a job."

        Watson was waived at the start of the following season and spent the first three weeks of the 2016-17 season back in the AHL. He could have wallowed in his woe, but a conversation with Predators head coach Peter Laviolette helped spur a change of heart.

        Laviolette, who last March became the eighth coach in NHL history to record 800 wins, advised Watson that he needed to find his niche.

        "The more I think about this stuff, the more I realize I've been very fortunate to run into great people," he said. "Peter Laviolette is one of the best coaches and human beings that I've run into in the game. He was at my wedding. I love Lavy but we weren't seeing eye to eye."

        Watson said he questioned what benefit he could gain from going back to the minors.

        "He goes, 'Here's the deal... here you don't hurt us, but you don't do enough to impact the game in a positive way, so the positives don't outweigh the negatives that you don't do, something that keeps you in the lineup that separates you and makes me have to say I have to have you in the lineup.'

        "I was told that I needed to make an impact in the game. You can't have fear of making mistakes because you have to understand that your leash is very short when you start getting into the third and fourth lines in the NHL, because there are so many other guys who are chomping at the bit to get in there.

        "Find a way to make four positive impact plays to offset two negatives, not zero and zero. If you go out there and you do nothing, you accomplish nothing. You're not hurting us but you're just out there skating around. For me, it started a change in mentality which led to a steady, nine-year NHL career.

       "Hockey is very much opportunity-based for a lot of guys. At certain times, skill levels can be so close. Especially at the NHL level, everybody's a great player and you have to be able to play at that level. Whether you play eight minutes a night or 20 minutes a night, there's a difference in skill level for sure, but you have to be able to play the game."

        Watson discovered that adding a physical element to his play made all the difference.

        "You just got to be willing to do the crap that nobody else wants to do," he said. "I fought three times in my three years in the American Hockey League before coming to Nashville. I fought once my first year with the Predators and then I fought 13 times the next year. I fought everyone, tough guys, I didn't care. If anything happened, someone who needed sticking up for, I was there. It was a way for me to establish myself.

        "It was an element to add to the things that I thought I already did well – being a 200-foot player, being a solid forechecker, having good hands around the net, and being able to make plays under pressure. When guys say,  'Why can't I get a shot?' I say find a way to do things that make you stand out."

        Role players can have long NHL careers if they can establish themselves as a valuable asset that can't be easily replaced.

        "Luke Glendening is an example of a special guy who played here," he said. "He's incredible in the faceoff circle and an incredible penalty killer. He's been able to play 800-plus games in the NHL because he does that better than 90 percent of the people.

        "On top of all that, he has a very good skill set, good hands around the net, but his moneymaker is faceoffs, penalty killing, and being dependable. And he's more of that than so many guys that he's irreplaceable. He does so many things well that he's a commodity."

        When Watson looks back at his career, being part of the Predators' 2017 Stanley Cup run is a highlight. He had nine points (4 goals, 5 assists) in playing all 22 playoff games. "It allowed me to believe in the type of player that I could be, the impact that I could have, and it was just fun. It was fun the whole way," he said,

        "That was probably the most special year that I've had playing hockey. That whole year I grinded to stay in the lineup every single night. I don't think I took a breath. I played 77 games and at a certain point, I didn't think I was coming out, but that mentality drove me and it still does today. You don't lose that, especially as a guy who's had to work and grind for everything."

        Nashville swept the Western Conference regular season champion Chicago Blackhawks in the opening round. "Beating them in four straight games, ending that dynasty a bit, was eye-opening for us," he said. "We felt like we got over a hump and we felt like we could go far from there."

        The Predators beat both the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks in six games before losing to Pittsburgh, the defending Stanley Cup champions, in six. "We had a collection of guys who would do anything to win," he said. "Those are the experiences that you can't trade, you can't teach. And then you blink and it's over."

        After eight years in the Nashville system, Watson packed his bags to join the Ottawa Senators. He played three seasons in Ottawa, where he was reunited with D.J. Smith and Bob Jones, two of his coaches from his Windsor Spitfires days.

        "At that point, I had established myself as an NHL regular veteran guy, but it was a weird year with all the COVID protocols and everything. So that made it more difficult. Halfway through my first season, I was having a really good year and I ended up breaking my thumb right in half and that cut my season short."

        His second and third seasons in Ottawa were relatively productive. He had hoped to stay in Ottawa, but there was no deal to his liking on the table.

        "It was a cool experience," he said. "Ottawa has a group of players that, I think, in the end, will be a prominent team in the league when they get over the hump of being a young, rebuilding team. I think they're close – a little bit like the Red Wings, maybe a little younger. But they will get there at some point.

        "The love of hockey is palpable in Canada, so I got to experience that," he said. "It was a little tough leaving there. I wanted a two-year deal to go back. I thought I had earned that with back-to-back 10-goal and nine-goal seasons, which is pretty good when you're playing 8-10 minutes a night."

        He discovered his options were limited. He ended up signing a professional tryout with the Tampa Bay Lightning before the team's training camp.

       "Signing a PTO is a scary situation – I didn't love it," he said. "I mean, I did it again this year, but I don't think I'd do it again, just being at the age that I am and with the family that I have. But I felt like my back was kind of up against it. There are no guarantees with a PTO, but it worked out well."

        Watson said he went into training camp, did what he needed to do, and earned a job.

        "Tampa was very honest about the role that I was going to play, almost crazy honest," he said. "We talked at the beginning of the year and they were like, 'Listen, you're the 13th forward. You're not going to play every night. You're going to play sometimes. You're not going to play other times. Sometimes it's not going to matter how well you're playing or how well other guys are playing. It's just you are that guy.'

        "You hear that and you think, 'Alright, cool.' You think that's the starting point, and I'll earn my way into a job, but no. That was the role. And I can't be mad about it because they were straight up about things and I knew exactly what my role was."

        Watson saw limited action with the Lightning, tallying two goals and two assists while appearing in 33 games. He believes his lack of playing time hampered his efforts to find a job last fall.

       "Perception is everything," he said. "I feel like a lot of times teams might not take a very deep look at you. As you start to get to know the names or players around the league, you see, 'Okay, well, Watty's only played 33 games this year. I think he's done.' That's the perception. But the perception was not the reality.

        "Was I good enough to play more games? Probably, yeah. But that was the role and that's how it worked. I really enjoyed being in Tampa. We had a great coaching staff, a great group of players. But for me, the year didn't go the way I wanted it to. And then you end up in the same spot then next fall."

       Nevertheless, as a Michigan native, he was excited by the potential of playing for the Red Wings.

        "It was definitely cool," he said. "I was definitely excited to come to camp. I thought I had a real good opportunity to earn a job at the NHL level and I think I did enough. Unfortunately, the situation was that I probably wasn't in their plans."

        Watson became determined to show that he could still play with the best of them.

       "Leaving Detroit after training camp and getting here two days later, I can't say I wasn't disappointed," he said. "But I've faced a lot of adversity in my career – some things have happened to me, some I've helped cause on my own – so I've seen worse times than what I was experiencing [by coming to Grand Rapids].

        "I can't control if the Detroit Red Wings don't see me the way that I see myself," he said. "But I can do my best to come here and have a good attitude."

        He met with coach Watson and discussed how he could have a positive impact.

        "Over the years, you carve out a role in the NHL and you play a certain amount of minutes and a certain style to help the team, to keep yourself employed. And then when you come to the American Hockey League, I think a lot of people start to only see you in that light.

        "I think we both agreed that I can be a better player than I've been able to show at the NHL level more recently, and I give credit to him for being able to recognize and utilize a skill set in a player that hasn't had the opportunity to show it in recent years.

        "From the perspective of the casual fan or a GM who has watched the NHL for the last four or five years, they might say, 'I don't think he has that in him anymore. He might not be able to get back to that level.' But Watty trusted himself and he trusted me to get to that level again and I've been able to do that. I think that perspective – that attitude – is what has allowed me to play at the highest level."

        He has played extensive minutes with highly touted Red Wings prospect Nate Danielson. Watson has helped create space for Danielson, while Danielson's skillset has complemented his linemate's finishing abilities.

       "Outside of maybe two games, I've played with Danny for a lot of the time and that, for me, has been great, and I think it's been a good thing for him as well," he said. "I get to play with a player who I think is gonna have an extremely long and successful NHL career and who's just getting started. He has a high hockey IQ, a high skill set, a great motor, and it helps me, right?

        "I can complement him in certain areas, whether that be the physical side of the game, some of the grinding, or the mental side of the game. To be able to play with a kid who was the ninth overall pick, I think that makes me better. We're fortunate that we've had good chemistry and made a good connection early on."

        "I love him – he's a great kid. It's been a real pleasure. I don't know but sometimes it might not be a pleasure for him. I can be a little loud and bust him up a little bit, all in good fun, but I think he'd say it's been a good tandem."

        Watson is excited by what the Red Wings are building in Grand Rapids.

        "I can say this about the American League – technically, nobody wants to be here, right? Everybody wants to be at the next level," he said. "Once you establish that fact – that you may not be exactly where you want to be – you can still try to get the most out of being here.

        "To have a chance to get to the next level, there's a certain standard that you need to reach. And it is not an individual way, it is a team way. When you win, everybody has more success, because when you're winning, you're playing the right way. We've established that here, we've committed to that.

        "We have a great team, a great coaching staff, and great young guys who are eager to learn, eager to perform, eager to get to the next level, and just play the right way. There's a standard and a commitment to winning.

        "And so I'm doing my part. I might be a little louder than some, but you try to lead by example. You can't ask young players to do something that you're not willing to do. So it's sticking up for teammates, blocking shots, and being committed defensively.

        "You can tell somebody to do something until you're blue in the face. But until you show them the right way to do things, until you demonstrate that type of leadership and mentorship, nothing is going to stick. We're fortunate that we have a lot of guys who have been willing to pull on that rope and lead by example. You've got to do the best with what you've been given."