Austin Watson

[15] He won a second J. Ross Robertson Cup with the Knights that season, receiving the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award as playoff MVP.[18] Watson began playing professionally during the 2012–13 season, where he scored 37 points in 72 games for the Predators' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.[21] He also recorded 4 goals and 9 points in 22 playoff games, as the team reached the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history.[23] In the 2017–18 season, Watson received his first NHL two-game suspension for boarding Colorado Avalanche forward Dominic Toninato on November 18, 2017.[30] Watson was traded by Nashville to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a fourth-round selection in the 2021 NHL entry draft on October 10, 2020.[30] He made his Ottawa debut on January 15, 2021, in the season opener, scoring his first goal with the team against Frederik Andersen in a 5–3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.[35] Watson was hurt in the final exhibition game and did not make his 2021–22 season until November 2, 2021, in a 5–4 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild.On August 29, 2024, Watson accepted an invitation to attend the Detroit Red Wings training camp for the 2024–25 season on a professional tryout.[47] After going unclaimed on waivers, Watson was assigned to Detroit's AHL affiliate on October 8, the Grand Rapids Griffins, for the 2024–25 season.Though the US team ultimately won the gold medal, Watson was ejected from the championship game 5 minutes in for a boarding call.Guardino told police that Watson at times "gets handsy" and pleaded with officers not to press charges, fearing damage to his NHL career.[57] On October 13, 2018, Guardino issued a statement in which she took full blame for the June 16 incident, claiming that it was not an act of domestic violence and that Watson would never hit or abuse her.In the public statement, Guardino apologized to everyone involved, including the Predators and the city of Nashville, and thanked Watson for his support.
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