Watson has spent the previous 13 seasons coaching the Red Wings’ ECHL club, the Toledo Walleye, and has been the head coach since 2016. Under his coaching, the former Kalamazoo Wing has led the Walleye to the playoffs in five of the last six seasons (playoffs were postponed in 2020), including two trips to the Kelly Cup Finals (2019 and 2022), and this spring’s Western Conference Finals.
Shawn Horcoff, Griffins general manager and Detroit Red Wings assistant general manager, stated, “I’m happy to announce Dan as the head coach of the Griffins.” “During his six years as head coach in Toledo, he instilled a wonderful winning culture through his work ethic, communication abilities, and relationships with his players.” Dan’s passion for player development and familiarity with the Red Wings organization will be invaluable assets, and we are certain that his experience will lead to the continuing development of our players in Grand Rapids.”
“I am incredibly excited and humbled to be the Griffins’ next head coach,” remarked Watson. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to work with each player to help them improve while also fostering a great working atmosphere. This is a critical period for the Red Wings organization and a significant task. We will work hard to put a competitive team on the ice that fans will be proud of.”
Watson has a history with Detroit’s current coach, having served as an assistant and associate to Derek Lalonde with the Walleye from 2014 to 2016.
“He was great [in Toledo],” Lalonde stated late in the season. “It’s an unusual circumstance at that level. There are two coaches, and we split everything. He is an excellent coach. We had a lot of success together there. He’s had a lot of success after the fact.
Watson led the Walleye to a 272-112-35 record and 11 playoff series victories during his tenure as head coach.Lalonde made it clear that maintaining success at the “Double-A” level can be difficult due to the ECHL’s constant turnover of players.
While the roster for the 2017 season has yet to be announced, Watson has extensive experience working with players that are expected to join Grand Rapids next season. Kirill Tyutyayev, Trenton Bliss, Drew Worrad, John Lethemon, and Red Wings’ top goaltender prospect Sebastian Cossa are among those who spent time with the Walleye past season.
Shortly after the 2022-23 regular season ended, Detroit decided not to renew coach Ben Simon’s contract, along with three assistants. The decision was made after the Griffins missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season, finishing with the second-lowest winning % in franchise history.
The Glencoe, Ontario native brings years of professional hockey experience to West Michigan, as both a coach and a player. Watson appeared in 193 American Hockey League games, with the Syracuse Crunch and the now-defunct Cleveland Barons. He appeared in 410 games of professional hockey over seven seasons, scoring 89 points and racking up 394 penalty minutes.
