How Austin Watson Turned an Extended PTO into a Contract With the Red Wings

On Friday’s penultimate preseason home game involving mostly NHL squad, Red Wings forward Austin Watson made an impressionful statement of intent for their forward line. Midway through the first period, star defenseman Moritz Seider and Senators forward Jan Jenik got in an altercation which soon turned physical. Watson took swift action by dropping their gloves and pushing Jenik, Ottawa forward Zach MacEwen and an Ottawa linesman along the ice while throwing punches. As Watson put it: it sent a powerful message not to interfere with Detroit’s stars despite him receiving 27 minutes in penalties that left them shorthanded for seven. Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Austin Watson (51) shoves Anaheim Ducks left wing Ross Johnston (44) during the second period at Amalie Arena; mandatory credit goes out to Nathan Ray Seebeck of USA TODAY Sports; this skirmish was exactly why Watson signed onto an professional tryout agreement in the first place! He’s a heavyweight who engages in rough play so his teammates don’t have to. And Detroit certainly appreciated Mo’s toughness: Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde stated after the game, “I like that because it energises our guys.” Lalonde acknowledged Mo as being vital player on their squad: Steve Yzerman apparently agreed with Watson as well, as they signed him to a one-year contract on Monday that featured both-way options rather than his original request for one-year deals only. Detroit and Watson both hope Watson can add some hardiness and physicality to the lineup, something Watson described Wednesday when discussing what lured him to Detroit as his motivations for signing on there. “What attracted me most was being able to bring some physicality, being hard on opponents when needed and sticking up for teammates when necessary,” according to him. “I thought this could be beneficial to both parties involved. Watson has experience doing PTO’s before; signing with Tampa Bay Lightning after one was completed last season gave her confidence and set her up to turn this tryout into a contract successfully again. “Having only played 30 or so games (last season), I kind of anticipated that this might happen this season,” Watson stated on Wednesday. “Having gone through it once has made things slightly simpler.” “Watson made his life simpler by showing that he wasn’t simply an enforcer – yes, he fights hard but also brings other skills into the fold. Although admiring Watson’s fight and signing him to an NHL contract may differ greatly, today it takes more than hard fists for someone to secure one in today’s league. Watson proved his versatility during his PTO, showing Detroit just what they had been missing when he made an impressive backdoor pass to teammate Tyler Motte in their inaugural preseason matchup. Detroit recognized Watson’s physicality when they had him complete 12 hits during preseason in Pittsburgh – more than double any teammate! If that had been their goal, this victory may well have done it. Detroit wanted to see that Watson could hold his own against opponents without resorting to physical play; Saturday’s final preseason tilt in Toronto offered them this glimpse as Watson blocked several shots and killed penalties against an NHL-heavy lineup despite receiving his contract extension shortly thereafter. Watson proved himself worthy of it all with this performance for Detroit; hence his huge contract extension. Watson always knew his goal was to play in the NHL and used his niche position to transform what initially looked like an unlikely tryout into an NHL roster spot. Watson created this role just so he could stay. He jokes about riding buses long-distance for tryouts but really enjoys playing there so found ways to remain. As a former first round pick, Watson entered the league possessing numerous skills – but these cannot suffice as his career choices will eventually need to make decisions based on more intangible factors than just skill alone. “Can I improve at forechecking or playing my own end?” Watson stated as an explanation for his decisions regarding forechecking or his own end play. Can one become good at penalty killing? A lot of factors come into play here and not every player wants to put forth the effort required of an effective penalty killer like Watson was willing and ready for in Detroit Red Wings training camp and into their roster.” He did all this work and it has paid dividends with them since joining. In today’s NHL environment, enforcer roles require players to possess increased competence. No longer do we rely on hired gun enforcers; even before Watson himself entered major junior. Even if Watson’s fight proved decisive in earning him recognition and awards from major junior associations, there was just as much value found within other films produced. Lalonde expressed the benefits of adding physical training on day two of training camp on September 20, saying, “when done right it can be extremely valuable. Our athletes possess certain talents which should feel at home when playing their respective positions – this may take different forms at times.” Naturally, we would welcome that addition if it is the appropriate match. Watson proved his worth with his hitting, penalty killing and ability to create offense – traits evident even during that game he got ejected for fighting! Lalonde marveled, calling Watson’s behavior impressive as one with such a positive outlook helps the group out immensely: ”Just one guy with that mentality helps this group out tremendously.” Up until that point, Austin had played well. (He) killed penalties well and created some amazing Grade-A chances. Additionally, Austin has done great things with his play; similarly Watson did well during his professional tryout session and has earned himself a contract.” As it’s unusual for PTO players to earn NHL deals directly out of a PTO contract, Watson’s success exemplified both Detroit’s need for physicality and Watson’s abilities as an enforcer to earn this result. Additional coverage: Breaking: Red Wings Reduce Roster Down to 28 Reducing Roster Moves Drop Red Wings Roster Down to 41 Role Versatility Brings Red Wings’ Prospects Closer to NHL Plus Three Takeaways From Red Wings’ Loss to Ottawa Three Takeaways from Red Wings’ 2-0 Loss To Toronto Maple Leaves