Austin Watson
American left winger drafted 18th overall in 2010.
Austin Watson (born January 13, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey left winger who is currently an unrestricted free agent. His most recent team was the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League (AHL), while he was under contract with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Nashville Predators selected him 18th overall in the 2010 NHL entry draft, and he has also suited up for the Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Watson was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, by his parents, Mike and Mary. He is the oldest of ten children—nine boys and one girl. He attended Detroit Catholic Central High School for one year and Father Gabriel Richard High School for another before entering the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). While playing in the OHL, he finished high school at St. Anne's High School and later at a school in Peterborough after a trade. During his time at Father Gabriel Richard, he played on the high school golf team, which reached the state finals.
As a youth, Watson played in the 2005 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Detroit Compuware Ambassadors. He initially committed to the University of Maine Black Bears but chose instead to join the Windsor Spitfires after being selected 36th overall in the second round of the OHL draft. In his rookie season, he surprised observers with his speed and smart play, finishing with 10 goals and 19 assists for 29 points despite a mid-season slump. During the playoffs, he added three assists in 20 games as the Spitfires won the OHL’s J. Ross Robertson Cup and the Canadian Hockey League’s Memorial Cup, becoming the first team to come back from fourth place to win the finals. It was the Spitfires’ first Memorial Cup championship.
On January 11, 2010, the Spitfires traded Watson to the Peterborough Petes, where he received more playing time on a younger team. He played in the 2010 CHL Top Prospects Game for Team Cherry, breaking up a 5-on-3 penalty kill, but broke his ankle blocking a second shot and missed a month. While with Windsor, the International Scouting Service (ISS) projected him 25th overall for the 2010 NHL draft, but after the trade to Peterborough, he rose to 14th in the NHL Central Scouting Final Ranks and 12th according to the ISS. The Nashville Predators drafted him 18th overall.
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- 1992-01-13
- Birth Place
- Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.
- Height Ft
- 6
- Height In
- 4
- Weight Lb
- 204
- Position
- Left wing
- Shoots
- Right
- League
- NHL
- Team
- Free agent
- Prospect League
- AHL
- Former Teams
- Nashville Predators / Ottawa Senators / Tampa Bay Lightning / Detroit Red Wings
- Ntl Team
- USA
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Watson was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and raised by his parents Mike and Mary Watson as the oldest of ten children. He attended Detroit Catholic Central High School and Father Gabriel Richard High School before being drafted into the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He played for the high school golf team at Father Gabriel Richard, which reached the state finals. Watson played youth hockey with the Detroit Compuware Ambassadors and later verbally committed to the University of Maine before choosing to play for the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL. He won the OHL's J. Ross Robertson Cup and the Canadian Hockey League's Memorial Cup with Windsor, then was traded to the Peterborough Petes. He played in the 2010 CHL Top Prospects game and broke his ankle blocking a shot. Later traded to the London Knights, he won a second J. Ross Robertson Cup and received the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award as playoff MVP, becoming the first American to win OHL Playoff MVP honors. Watson began his professional career in the 2012–13 season with the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL and scored his first NHL goal against Miikka Kiprusoff of the Calgary Flames on April 23, 2013. He became a regular with the Predators in 2015–16 and reached the Stanley Cup Final with the team in 2016–17, where they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Watson received multiple suspensions during his time with Nashville, including a two-game suspension for boarding and an indefinite suspension for an alcohol-related relapse. He completed the NHL's substance abuse program and was reinstated. He was traded to the Ottawa Senators in 2020 and later signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2023. He joined the Detroit Red Wings on a professional tryout in 2024 and signed a one-year contract, spending most of the season with the Grand Rapids Griffins while appearing in 13 NHL games with Detroit.
Reader's Guide
Austin Watson's career illustrates a journeyman forward who has experienced both team success and personal challenges. He won two OHL championships and a Memorial Cup, and was named OHL playoff MVP, a rare honor for an American player. In the NHL, he reached the Stanley Cup Final with the Nashville Predators in 2017, contributing four goals and nine points in 22 playoff games. Watson's playing style has been that of a bottom-six forward and penalty killer. His career has been marked by suspensions, including one for a non-hockey related reason and another for an alcohol-related relapse, after which he entered the NHL's substance abuse program. He later signed with the Detroit Red Wings, the team from his home state, and split time between the NHL and AHL. His tenure with Detroit included a one-year, two-way contract extension signed in March 2025. Watson's path reflects the volatility of a player who has been waived, traded, and signed to professional tryouts, yet has continued to find opportunities at the NHL level.
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