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Austin Watson

USA Hockey Announces Roster For 2022 World Championship

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The U.S. roster for the upcoming IIHF World Championship has been set, a group that includes both NHL stars and prospects waiting for their first opportunity. The event will be held later this month in Helsinki, Finland, and will see the U.S. squad try to improve from their third-place finish a year ago.

The full roster:

G Jon Gillies
G Strauss Mann
G Alex Nedeljkovic

D Nick Blankenburg
D Jordan Harris
D Luke Hughes
D Caleb Jones
D Seth Jones
D Jaycob Megna
D Andrew Peeke
D Nate Schmidt

F Riley Barber
F Kieffer Bellows
F Thomas Bordeleau
F Sasha Chmelevski
F Sean Farrell
F Alex Galchenyuk
F Adam Gaudette
F John Hayden
F Sam Lafferty
F Vinni Lettieri
F Karson Kuhlman
F Ben Meyers
F Austin Watson

One of the most interesting names to watch will be Mann, who represented his country at the Olympics earlier this year and recently signed an entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks. The 23-year-old netminder has had quite an odd path to this point, including going undrafted, playing three years at the University of Michigan, and then going to play in Sweden this season.

It will certainly be some mixed emotions for Canadian fans from the Montreal area, given how this squad includes two of the highly-touted Canadiens prospects in Harris and Farrell. The former signed and made his debut at the end of the year, while the latter just completed an outstanding rookie season at Harvard. Farrell was also a part of the U.S. Olympic squad this year, and scored three goals and six points in four games on the international stage.

The U.S. will kick things off on May 13 against Latvia.

Senators Notes: Free Agents, World Championships, Brown, Sanderson

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Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion spoke to reporters today during his end-of-season availability, stating that forwards Chris Tierney and Tyler Ennis won’t be extended and defenseman Victor Mete won’t be issued a qualifying offer. The news doesn’t come as much of a surprise as the team likely looks to be a little more aggressive in free agency, pursuing bigger talents to help push a budding young core into playoff contention.

Tierney had just 18 points in 70 games this season, a career-low. Ennis was much more productive in an even more limited role, notching 24 points in 57 games. He should continue to find a home next season to provide solid depth scoring. Mete only appeared in 37 games this season, oftentimes a healthy scratch.

  • Dorion also announced that forwards Austin Watson and Adam Gaudette will make the trip to Finland to represent the United States at the 2022 World Championships, joining teammate Tim Stutzle who will be with Germany. Gaudette had just 14 points in 58 games this year, a far cry from his 33-point year in 59 games a few seasons back. Watson, known for his grit rather than his scoring, ended up with more points, tallying 16 in 67 games.
  • Forward Connor Brown was dealing with not one but two wrist injuries by the time the season ended. That didn’t stop him much, though, as he still tallied a respectable 39 points in 64 games as he battled through injury at various points this season. He’s done nothing but score consistently since joining the Senators, tallying 117 points in 191 games over three seasons so far.
  • Promising defense prospect Jake Sanderson re-injured his hand this week, but Dorion says he’ll be ready for training camp. Dorion notes Sanderson will participate in development camp over the summer, while forward Shane Pinto, who was injured most of this season, will join him at rookie camp.

Ottawa’s Austin Watson Suspended Two Games

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The NHL Department of Player Safety worked swiftly to hold a hearing with Ottawa Senators forward Austin Watson this morning and have acted just as quickly to hand down a suspension. Following a late, high hit on Boston Bruins’ defenseman Jack Ahcan in the Senators’ Saturday matinee match-up, Watson has received a two-game suspension for interference, Player Safety announced. The league summarized the situation as follows:

Well after the puck is gone and outside the window where a check may be legally finished, Watson delivers a late, high hit that makes significant contact with the head of Ahcan, knocking him to the ice. This is interference… Watson begins his hitting motion well after Ahcan moves the puck… Ahcan has no reason to expect to be hit at this time or in this manner, leaving him particularly vulnerable. In addition to the lateness, what causes this hit to rise to the level of supplemental discipline is the significant head contact on this play, combined with the force of the blow.

When it comes to the length of Watson’s suspension, he certainly did not receive any in-game help from the referees. The officials in Saturday’s game misread the incident completely, giving Watson just a minor penalty for interference for what should have been at least a major penalty. Especially given that the hit occurred in the first period, had Watson suffered a more severe penalty during the game, he may have avoided a second game in his suspension. To add insult to injury, the officials also handed Bruins forward Anton Blidh a roughing penalty for coming to the defense of Ahcan, which canceled out any Boston power play on what should have been an obvious man-up situation.

Conversely, Watson is saved by the fact that Ahcan was not injured on the play. The rookie defenseman returned to the game as the Bruins held on for a shutout win. The severity of an injury plays into suspension determinations and length and – especially in the case of head injuries – the optics can be a powerful contributor.

Watson will feel the impact of the suspension immediately, as he was preparing to suit up for the second of a weekend back-to-back on Sunday with the Senators on the road in Washington. He will also miss a difficult match-up with St. Louis on Tuesday. Watson is not exactly a key contributor for the Senators though; he has just three points and -8 rating in 31 games. His physicality will be missed however.

Austin Watson To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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Senators winger Austin Watson will have a disciplinary hearing on Sunday, the Department of Player Safety announced (Twitter link).  The play in question is an interference penalty he had on Bruins defenseman Jack Ahcan in Saturday’s game, one that saw him receive a two-minute minor.  Conor Ryan of the Boston Sports Journal has the clip of the hit here.

Watson has one prior suspension for an on-ice incident when he was suspended for two games back in 2017 for boarding.  While that won’t factor into how much money he’d forfeit if he was to be suspended (the repeat offender tag for that lasts 24 months), it could be taken into consideration for any discipline here.

Ottawa wraps up what has been a very busy week for them on Sunday when they host Washington Sunday afternoon for their fifth game in seven days.  Accordingly, a decision on any further penalty to Watson will need to be made quickly following the hearing.

Austin Watson Placed In COVID Protocol

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The Ottawa Senators have announced that forward Austin Watson has been placed in the COVID protocol. Watson played last night against the Vegas Golden Knights, but will be unavailable for an indefinite period of time.

As a reminder, inclusion in the protocol does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the COVID Protocol Related Absences list are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol.

Watson only made his season debut a few days ago after returning from an ankle injury he suffered in the preseason. At the time, his head coach D.J. Smith noted how important his intensity and leadership is to the group, noting that they could use his help on the penalty kill as well. Just two games later and he’s out of the lineup again, at least until he is removed from the protocol.

The Senators play again tomorrow, but unfortunately, that game is in the afternoon. It seems unlikely at this point that Watson will be able to go, though because of the lack of details it is unclear at this point.

Scott Sabourin Clears Waivers

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Nov 2: Sabourin has cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.

Nov 1: The Ottawa Senators have placed Scott Sabourin on waivers according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia, in order to create roster space for Austin Watson. While the team has one open roster spot currently, Matt Murray will take it when he is activated from injured reserve in time for tonight’s game. Watson is expected to be activated tomorrow and play against the Minnesota Wild.

Sabourin, 29, has played in just one game this season for the Senators, logging just over six minutes of ice time. The minor league veteran is known more for his fists than his scoring ability and will likely be brought up again this season whenever the team feels it needs some added toughness. He’ll likely pass through unclaimed, as he has several times in the past including last season when he was with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In 314 AHL contests, Sabourin has racked up 668 penalty minutes, compared to just 79 points. Despite his lack of offensive upside, he’s still carved out quite a lengthy professional career. His one-year, two-way contract is the fifth NHL contract of his career and this one will pay him $200K at the minor league level.

Injury Notes: Canadiens, Lightning, Watson

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The Montreal Canadiens are facing two big game-time decisions for Sunday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks in defenseman Jeff Petry and forward Brendan Gallagher, as reported by The Athletic’s Arpon Basu. Basu notes that Sami Niku will draw in for Petry if he’s unavailable, while Jake Evans, who’s still not 100 percent in his recovery from an undisclosed injury, would play in place of Gallagher if needed. It’s tough news for an already banged-up team that also lost Mathieu Perreault to injury today for two-to-three weeks. Petry and Gallagher have both had extremely slow starts, as Petry has no points through nine games with Gallagher has just a goal and an assist. It’ll undoubtedly force a lineup shakeup for Sunday’s game.

More injury notes from around the league:

  • The status of Tampa Bay Lightning forwards Steven Stamkos and Boris Katchouk is uncertain for Monday night’s game against the Washington Capitals. The Athletic’s Joe Smith reports that Stamkos was absent from practice Sunday, taking a maintenance day, and head coach Jon Cooper is “hopeful” he’ll play Monday night but isn’t certain. Katchouk was hurt in practice Sunday and could be out longer. The 23-year-old forward has gotten into four games this season and is still searching for his first NHL point.
  • Ottawa Senators forward Austin Watson is close to returning and could be ready for the team’s game against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, per head coach D.J. Smith. Watson hasn’t played this season due to an ankle injury suffered during training camp. The return comes slightly ahead of the four-week timeline issued on October 10th. He could draw into the lineup in place of Logan Shaw, who’s registered no points in seven games while playing just 8:08 per game.

Atlantic Notes: Bruins, Mittelstadt, Watson

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Bruins forward Curtis Lazar was back in the lineup tonight against Florida but he very nearly wasn’t.  He told reporters, including Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald, that he was very close to having surgery to repair his injured elbow which would have taken him out for the majority of the remainder of the regular season.  Instead, simply resting it has worked well enough – for now at least – to allow the 26-year-old to return after just missing four games.  Lazar’s timing to return is certainly good with veteran Craig Smith not accompanying the team on their two-game road trip.  Anton Blidh was transferred to IR to make room for Lazar’s activation.

More from the Atlantic:

  • The Sabres are hoping that center Casey Mittelstadt will be able to return to the lineup after their road trip, reports Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News (Twitter link). The 22-year-old suffered an upper-body injury in their season-opening win over Montreal and has been out ever since.  Buffalo will kick off a four-game West Coast road trip on Thursday so Mittelstadt won’t be able to return until November 6th against Detroit.
  • Senators winger Austin Watson could return to Ottawa’s lineup for their game on Friday, suggests Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. The 29-year-old suffered an ankle injury in the final game of the postseason and hasn’t played since but did participate in practice today.  The Sens have an open roster spot even with the recent addition of Dylan Gambrell so no move will need to be made to activate Watson off injured reserve.

Austin Watson Out Four Weeks For Ottawa Senators

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Ottawa Senators head coach D.J. Smith confirmed today that forward Austin Watson will be out of the lineup for four weeks. The veteran winger sustained an ankle injury during the preseason.

Things are turning sour quickly for the Senators, who’ll now be without both Watson and Colin White, as well as potentially Brady Tkachuk, for their season opener. They’ll play their first game of the 2021-22 season at home on Thursday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Watson, largely brought into Ottawa for his grit and fighting ability, has been a remarkably consistent bottom-six player over the past few seasons. He made his impact felt during his first season in Ottawa last year, tallying three goals and 10 points in 34 games while adding on 40 penalty minutes.

Now 29 years old, the Ann Arbor, Michigan native spent eight years in the Nashville Predators organizations before moving to Ottawa prior to last season. He was a first-round pick of the Predators in 2010, drafted 18th overall. Watson has 39 goals and 87 points in 340 career games.

If Ottawa needs a physical presence while Watson is on the shelf, they could look to Scott Sabourin as an internal replacement. Largely a career AHLer, Sabourin got into 35 games with the Sens back in 2019-20 and could reprise his role as an enforcer again.

Atlantic Notes: Ryan, Watson, Power, Lazar

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Decisions have been made on many of the players who were attending NHL training camps on tryouts but one call that hasn’t been made yet is Red Wings winger Bobby Ryan.  The veteran was in Detroit last season but settled for a PTO deal at the beginning of training camp.  MLive’s Ansar Khan suggests that Ryan has done well enough to earn a spot and could slot into their top six following the long-term injury to Jakub Vrana.  While he’s not an ideal fit in that role at this stage of his career, the 34-year-old managed seven goals in 33 games last season and could still contribute a little bit in a middle-six role.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • Senators winger Austin Watson suffered an ankle injury in Thursday’s game against Montreal and there is no timetable for his return, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. Entering his second season in Ottawa, the 29-year-old was likely to start the season in an energy role once again after recording 100 hits in 34 games last season but that appears to be in question now.
  • Postmedia’s Michael Traikos spoke with Sabres top draft pick Owen Power regarding his decision to return to college over signing and debuting with Buffalo this season. Power indicated that he’s “in no rush to get to the NHL” and feels that some young players would be better off being more patient and take an extra year before turning pro.  The defenseman will be on a loaded Michigan team this season and could very well wind up seeing some action with the Sabres this season once his college campaign gets to an end.
  • Bruins center Curtis Lazar is listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury, relays Matt Porter of the Boston Globe (Twitter link). The 26-year-old crashed into the net in Wednesday’s preseason contest against Washington.  While viewed as an afterthought in the Taylor Hall trade last year, Lazar carved out a regular role on Boston’s fourth line, logging nearly 13 minutes a game with Boston following the swap.

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