After five years at the helm of the Toledo Walleye franchise, head coach Dan Watson is back for five more years.
Watson has been part of the Walleye organization since its inception in 2009-10, first as an assistant coach and then as the team's head coach beginning in 2016-17. On Thursday, Watson signed a five-year contract extension.
“Being the head coach in Toledo is a true honor,” Watson said after throwing out the first pitch at the Mud Hens game. “It's the top franchise in the ECHL for a lot of reasons. It's very humbling to be standing here signing a five-year contract.”
The Walleye have never missed the playoffs in his first five seasons, and Watson has guided the team to two appearances in the Kelly Cup Finals. Toledo fell short in the 2018-19 season, losing to Newfoundland in the championship round. Last season, Watson guided Toledo back to the Finals before the Walleye lost to the Florida Everblades.
“Ultimately, our goal is to win the Kelly Cup. We've been close,” Watson said.
A native of Glencoe, Ontario, Watson has compiled a 42-29 all-time playoff record. He has led Toledo to the conference finals three out of five years.
“I believe next time we get there [to the Kelly Cup Finals], it will be our lucky charm,” he said.
Walleye general manager Neil Neukam said Watson has been dedicated to Toledo hockey since his days as a defenseman with the Toledo Storm in 2006-07 — his last season as a player.
“He wants to win a championship for this city, and we've been on the cusp twice,” Neukam said. “He loves what he does here and loves this region and the fan support. It's great to have him back. He has unfinished business.”
In five seasons, Watson has compiled a regular season record of 227-93-11-27. His total wins are the most for any Walleye coach, and are the second most in Toledo ECHL history behind Nick Vitucci (289). Watson was an assistant under Vitucci for five seasons, and also played for Vitucci when he coached the Storm, Toledo's former ECHL franchise.
Watson then was an associate head coach under Derek Lalonde for two seasons. Lalonde, who led the Walleye to two highly successful seasons in 2014-15 and 2016-17, is now the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings.
“He has continued the success Derek started, but Dan brings his own style,” Neukam said. “In talking to the players, they have nothing but flattering things to say about him. He is very highly respected by his players.”
Defenseman Simon Denis, who played for Watson during his first season as head coach, re-signed with the team this offseason. Denis called Watson the “ultimate players' coach.”
“He knows exactly what players want out of hockey,” Denis said. “He is all you could ever ask for as a coach. He cares about his players on and off the ice. He's molding players to be great people in life. I'm looking forward to playing for him again to see how he's grown.”
Denis said Watson is the reason the Walleye have been consistently successful over the last half-decade.
“Watty brings that character into the locker room,” Denis said. "He brings in the right players. It's just a matter of time before a championship comes to Toledo. Hopefully, that's going to be this year.”
Watson, who was named head coach for the ECHL All-Star Game in 2017 and 2022, thanked Neukam and team president Joe Napoli for having faith and belief in him.
“They worked hard on this and to get five years shows their commitment level to myself, which I really, really appreciate,” Watson said.
Watson has already signed six players for next season, including five that played for the team last season.
“You have to do a lot of special things to get there [to the Finals]. You have to put the right pieces in place, making sure it's the right guys in that locker room,” he said.
Watson said he is still awaiting the decision from a couple of players regarding their potential return next season.
“I'm making a lot of phone calls right now, trying to dial in those last couple pieces,” he said. “We do have a lot of returning players and we have a good nucleus back to continue building on what we did last year. We're looking for another special season.”
Watson, who has received interest from teams at the higher-level American Hockey League, was at the end of a three-year contract with the Walleye. Watson said he hopes to advance in his career, with the ultimate goal of coaching in the NHL.
“He was open-minded to doing five years this time,” Neukam said. “If there is an opportunity for him that makes sense for him and his family and provides him the opportunity to move up to the next level, we'd definitely be open to having those conversations.”
But Watson said Toledo has become home to him and his family.
“It's the way we are treated and the way they show up to every single game to support our team,” he said. “If you talk to the guys that want to play here, it's all about the fans. The way the city embraces us, we want to do the same back to them. That's what makes it so special.”
First Published July 28, 2022, 11:24 p.m.
