Dan Watson’s Belief in the Grand Rapids Griffins Propels Them to New Heights
Photo Credit: Grand Rapids Griffins/Nicolas Carillo
One of the most beautiful experiences in life is to be believed in and encouraged to be a better version of yourself. When someone buys into who you are and advocates for you, it makes all the difference in the world.
Grand Rapids Griffins Head Coach Dan Watson is a believer. He empowers his players to be the best and puts them in situations that allow them to grow.“Watty gives us the ropes to play hockey out there and just do our thing. He believes in all four lines, all three d (defense) pairs, and both goalies,” said forward Tim Gettinger.“It makes it easier knowing coach has confidence in everyone in the lineup and you can kind of see it out there on the ice.”
Coach Watson embraces each player's unique identity.
A great example of this is forward Austin Watson.
While some would call A. Watson “brash” or “aggressive”, many in Grand Rapids call him passionate. Coach Watson has bought into that passion and lets it run rampant on and off the ice. By doing this, A. Watson has taken on a leadership role despite not wearing a letter on his sweater.
During the game, he can be seen sticking up for his teammates and walking them through plays. The best thing to experience is when Watson ignites a fire within Grand Rapids when they start to falter. His larger than life energy paired with his “never give up” style of play is infectious. Especially, when the Griffins are down heading into the back half of the game.
After most home games, A. Watson sits in his stall decompressing and listens in on post-game with the media. Sometimes, he even provides delightful commentary once interviews have ended.
Recently, A. Watson had the honor of representing the Griffins alongside Coach Watson and goaltender Sebastian Cossa in the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic. While there, he dazzled the audience scoring two goals in the span of 21 seconds during game six of the round robin All-Star Challenge.
The best example of what a little bit of belief can do to a player is Dominik Shine.
For Shine, the belief helped launch him up the points leaderboard, and people across the AHL and NHL took note. He is no longer considered “just an AHL fourth-line grinder”. Since Watson joined the coaching staff, Shine has become an offensive powerhouse leading the Grand Rapids Griffins towards the end of January with 32 points and getting heavy minutes on the power play. "He’s got skill and he’s shown that in his early days, his junior days, his college days,” said Coach Watson. “He works so hard. He’s been here for so long. I trust him. I respect the work that he has done over the course of his career.”
Shine’s consistent hard work and willingness to take on roles where Coach Watson believed he would excel helped him achieve a lifelong dream; playing with the Detroit Red Wings. On January 27, 2025, Shine signed a two-year contract with the Wings and made his NHL debut that night. A few days later, he earned his first NHL point assisting captain Dylan Larkin’s 1st period goal.
As I said earlier, belief is a beautiful thing.
If you have someone in your life who believes in you the way Coach Watson believes in his players, never let them go. Your life will be exponentially better with them in it.
