Walleye head coach Dan Watson moving up to coach Grand Rapids

(Toledo, OH) – The Toledo Walleye announced today that head coach Dan Watson will leave the organization to serve as head coach for the Grand Rapids Griffins in the AHL.Griffins officials are very excited to welcome Watson to the organization.

In his six seasons as head coach for the Walleye, Watson compiled a regular season record of 272-112-35 and led the team to the Kelly Cup Finals twice (2019 and 2022). His 272 regular season wins are the most for any Walleye head coach and are the second most in Toledo ECHL history (Nick Vitucci, 289). He is also the fastest coach in ECHL history to reach 100 wins. Other league honors include being named head coach for the ECHL All-Star Game in 2017 and 2022 and ECHL Coach of the Year in 2017.

Watson has been with the Walleye since their inaugural season, serving as the assistant coach from 2009-10 through 2013-14. He was promoted to associate head coach in 2014 and then to head coach in July 2016.

Watson looks forward to continuing his coaching career in Grand Rapids while remaining grateful to the Walleye organization and fanbase.

The Griffins will formally announce Dan Watson as their new head coach via a press conference that will be streamed live at griffinshockey.com and on the Griffins’ Facebook and YouTube pages at 11 a.m.

The search for a new Walleye head coach for the 2023-24 season is underway. The team hopes to make an announcement in the next few weeks.