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Austin Watson

#24 · Left wing · Free agent, last with the Detroit Red Wings

Born Jan 13, 1992 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA · 6'4", 203 lb · Shoots right · Drafted 18th overall in 2010 by NSH (round 1)

Compare with a similar player

The forwards closest to him in points in 2016-17. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Torrey Mitchell MTL · 17 P in 78 GP Riley Nash BOS · 17 P in 81 GP Jamie McGinn ARI · 17 P in 72 GP Marcus Kruger CHI · 17 P in 70 GP Nicholas Shore LAK · 17 P in 70 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

0510152012-13: 1 points112-132015-16: 10 points1015-162016-17: 17 points1716-172017-18: 19 points1917-182018-19: 16 points1618-192019-20: 14 points1419-202020-21: 10 points1020-212021-22: 16 points1621-222022-23: 11 points1122-232023-24: 4 points423-242024-25: 3 points324-25

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
2012-13 NSH 6 1 0 1 -2 0 4 2 0.17
2015-16 NSH 57 3 7 10 -4 32 55 74 0.18 $575K
2016-17 NSH 77 5 12 17 14 99 90 143 0.22 $575K
2017-18 NSH 76 14 5 19 2 123 96 187 0.25 $1.1M
2018-19 NSH 37 7 9 16 11 39 64 109 0.43 $1.1M
2019-20 NSH 53 6 8 14 -9 65 50 131 0.26 $1.1M
2020-21 OTT 34 3 7 10 -7 40 41 100 0.29 $1.5M
2021-22 OTT 67 10 6 16 -3 91 88 213 0.24 $1.5M
2022-23 OTT 75 9 2 11 -7 123 79 165 0.15 $1.5M
2023-24 TBL 33 2 2 4 2 93 17 85 0.12 $775K
2024-25 DET 13 3 0 3 1 17 13 36 0.23 $775K
11 seasons Career 528 63 58 121 -2 722 597 1245 0.23

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
2016-17 NSH 22 4 5 9 3 28 28 106 0.41
2017-18 NSH 13 5 3 8 3 12 25 37 0.62
2018-19 NSH 6 1 1 2 -2 6 14 35 0.33
2019-20 NSH 4 0 0 0 0 2 6 14 0.00
4 seasons Playoffs 45 10 9 19 4 48 73 192 0.42

2016-17 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
77 5 12 17 14 99 90 143 0.22 5.6 12:26

Contract

$575KCap hit2016-17
$34KCap dollars per point17 points in 77 games
$257KCap dollars per goal above replacement2.2 goals above replacement
$2MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
+$1.4MValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 664 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Who signed him to it, and when, are not on record. When it ends is not known.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
Mar 5, 2025 Detroit Red Wings Extension 2025-26 to 2025-26 1 $775K $775K
Oct 7, 2024 Detroit Red Wings New contract 2024-25 to 2024-25 1 $775K $775K
2023-24 to 2023-24 $775K
2020-21 to 2022-23 $1.5M
2018-19 to 2019-20 $1.1M
2017-18 to 2017-18 $1.1M
2015-16 to 2016-17 $575K

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2016-17 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2016-17 analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

+2.2Goals above replacement340th of 664 skaters, 240th of 435 forwards
+0.4Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
-0.4Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 435 ranked forwards: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile.

Even-strength offence-3.4 7th percentileEven-strength defence+3.3 95th percentilePower play-0.1 39th percentilePenalty kill0.0 39th percentilePenalties-0.2 31st percentile

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater, and the rank beside it is among forwards. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

-4-20242012-132016-172018-192020-212022-232024-25Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

45.1Corsi for %606 attempts for, 738 against
-8.3CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
47.8Expected goals for %23.6 expected for, 25.8 against
-5.0xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
46.8Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
58.5Goals for %24 for, 17 against
102.3PDO7.2% shooting + 95.1% saves
144Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 565 skaters who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. PDO and attempts taken are left plain, since neither is good or bad on its own.

Who he played with

Forward lineGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Calle Jarnkrok · Austin Watson · Colton Sissons24110:5045.243.12-2
Mike Fisher · Craig Smith · Austin Watson1186:4353.150.12-2
Vernon Fiddler · Cody McLeod · Austin Watson1166:5039.258.22-4
Mike Fisher · Austin Watson · Colton Sissons1464:2645.660.24-0

The lines he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's lines that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

5Goalsnot counting empty-netters
7.3Expected goalsfrom 114 unblocked attempts
-2.3Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.45 expected goals per 60 minutes10th
Shot quality 6.4% chance per attempt16th
Finishing -2.3 goals above expected28thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 421 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

0246Game 20Game 40Game 60Expected 7.3Goals 5

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took this season, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. Darker red means more attempts from that spot, and each dot is a goal. "Show every shot" switches to a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 8, 2017 @ WPG L 1-2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 13:15
Apr 6, 2017 @ DAL W 7-3 0 1 1 0 0 4 1 13:35
Apr 2, 2017 @ STL L 1-4 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 12:06
Apr 1, 2017 vs MIN W 3-0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 12:00
Mar 30, 2017 vs TOR L 1-3 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 10:13
Mar 28, 2017 @ BOS L 1-4 0 0 0 0 0 3 5 11:18
Mar 27, 2017 @ NYI W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 13:18
Mar 25, 2017 vs SJS W 7-2 0 1 1 0 0 2 2 11:55
Mar 23, 2017 vs CGY W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 14:04
Mar 20, 2017 vs ARI W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12:31
Mar 18, 2017 @ CAR L 2-4 0 0 0 -2 0 0 1 14:58
Mar 16, 2017 @ WSH W 2-1 (OT) 0 0 0 0 5 0 2 11:00
Mar 13, 2017 vs WPG W 5-4 (OT) 1 0 1 1 0 3 2 11:58
Mar 11, 2017 @ SJS W 3-1 0 0 0 0 5 3 1 10:26
Mar 9, 2017 @ LAK L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 09:45
Mar 7, 2017 @ ANA L 3-4 (SO) 0 0 0 0 5 2 1 12:16
Mar 4, 2017 vs CHI L 3-5 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 09:33
Mar 2, 2017 @ MTL L 1-2 0 0 0 0 4 0 5 09:45
Feb 28, 2017 @ BUF W 5-4 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 09:35
Feb 26, 2017 vs EDM W 5-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 12:26
Feb 25, 2017 vs WSH W 5-2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 11:43
Feb 23, 2017 vs COL W 4-2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 12:30
Feb 21, 2017 vs CGY L 5-6 (OT) 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 09:06
Feb 19, 2017 @ CBJ W 4-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 13:27
Feb 18, 2017 @ MIN L 2-5 0 0 0 0 7 2 4 14:58
Feb 12, 2017 vs DAL W 5-3 0 0 0 1 2 4 1 14:03
Feb 11, 2017 vs FLA L 4-7 0 0 0 -1 5 1 2 12:22
Feb 9, 2017 @ NYR L 3-4 0 1 1 1 0 0 2 09:08
Feb 7, 2017 vs VAN W 4-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 11:56
Feb 4, 2017 vs DET L 0-1 0 0 0 0 2 1 2 11:29
Feb 2, 2017 vs EDM W 2-0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 16:23
Jan 31, 2017 @ PIT L 2-4 0 0 0 0 2 2 5 15:05
Jan 26, 2017 vs CBJ W 4-3 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 14:38
Jan 24, 2017 vs BUF L 4-5 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 12:44
Jan 22, 2017 @ MIN W 4-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 18:20
Jan 20, 2017 @ EDM W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 7 1 3 15:15
Jan 19, 2017 @ CGY W 4-3 0 0 0 -1 5 1 2 15:27
Jan 17, 2017 @ VAN L 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 14:33
Jan 14, 2017 @ COL W 3-2 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 13:30
Jan 12, 2017 vs BOS W 2-1 1 0 1 1 0 2 4 17:42
Jan 10, 2017 vs VAN W 2-1 (OT) 1 0 1 0 0 2 3 15:13
Jan 8, 2017 @ CHI L 2-5 1 0 1 1 0 5 3 16:21
Jan 6, 2017 @ FLA L 1-2 0 0 0 0 11 2 2 13:56
Jan 5, 2017 @ TBL W 6-1 0 0 0 1 7 0 4 15:52
Jan 3, 2017 vs MTL L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 12:22
Dec 30, 2016 @ STL W 4-0 0 0 0 1 2 1 2 13:45
Dec 29, 2016 vs CHI L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 12:10
Dec 27, 2016 vs MIN L 2-3 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 12:40
Dec 22, 2016 vs LAK L 0-4 0 0 0 -2 5 0 2 10:30
Dec 20, 2016 @ NJD W 5-1 0 0 0 -1 0 0 1 12:43
Dec 19, 2016 @ PHI W 2-1 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 4 5 12:11
Dec 17, 2016 vs NYR L 1-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 09:31
Dec 15, 2016 vs MIN L 2-5 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 10:30
Dec 13, 2016 vs STL W 6-3 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 12:38
Dec 10, 2016 @ ARI L 1-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 12:04
Dec 8, 2016 @ DAL L 2-5 0 1 1 1 0 2 2 15:45
Dec 6, 2016 vs COL W 4-3 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 11:42
Dec 4, 2016 vs PHI L 2-4 0 1 1 1 0 1 4 11:52
Dec 3, 2016 vs NJD L 4-5 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 10:44
Nov 29, 2016 @ COL W 5-3 1 1 2 2 5 2 2 12:40
Nov 27, 2016 @ WPG L 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 09:47
Nov 25, 2016 vs WPG W 5-1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 12:36
Nov 23, 2016 vs DAL W 5-2 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 12:07
Nov 21, 2016 vs TBL W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 13:00
Nov 19, 2016 @ STL L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 09:11
Nov 17, 2016 @ OTT W 5-1 0 1 1 1 0 3 1 11:02
Nov 15, 2016 @ TOR L 2-6 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 12:37
Nov 12, 2016 vs ANA W 5-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 12:53
Nov 10, 2016 vs STL W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 08:57
Nov 8, 2016 vs OTT W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 11:15
Nov 5, 2016 vs CAR L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 13:09
Nov 3, 2016 @ ARI L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 07:16
Nov 1, 2016 @ COL W 5-1 0 0 0 0 7 2 2 12:16
Oct 29, 2016 @ SJS L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 0 4 09:48
Oct 27, 2016 @ LAK L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 5 1 4 10:28
Oct 26, 2016 @ ANA L 1-6 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 12:25
Oct 22, 2016 vs PIT W 5-1 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 12:36