Confirmed with Link: Ben Simon out as Griffins coach

[DTR]

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[DTR]

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

This is the real shakeup the organization needed, not some blockbuster trade.

 

[DTR]

I’d be stunned if it’s anyone but Dan Watson.

 

[better Red than Dead]

I’d be stunned if it’s anyone but Dan Watson.

Thought that as well as soon as I saw this

 

[lhsgolf19]

I’d be stunned if it’s anyone but Dan Watson.

If he isn't the next coach I'll be shocked as well

 

[SoupNazi]

I don't know what else to say but "GOOD."

 

[Run the Jewels]

Well that was quick. Stevie unlocks another aspect of the Yzerplan.

 

[Ezekial]

Doubt anyone will miss Ben Simon.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

 

[SantosHalper]

Let the Dan Watson era beging. Announcement is going to take while, Watson is taking his team far again.

 

[GrGriffins]

 

[RED WINGS STOMP]

With all the potential players in GR next season, this hire is critical. If everyone is cool with Watson, so am I.

 

[GMR]

Blashill would be an ideal candidate.

 

[Oddbob]

Why do people want the ECHL coach so badly?

 

[Preposterone]

Why do people want the ECHL coach so badly?

I’m in this boat. Echl is basically semi pro, it’s such a different league than the top level minor pro leagues. I think we could do better if the salary money is there

 

[GrGriffins]

Why do people want the ECHL coach so badly?

The past 2 seasons, the Wings had several key players out for numerous amount of time and at various times throughout the season. When that happened, the Wings would pluck players from Grand Rapids and take our best players and move them up. The Griffins, for the most part, would do the same to Toledo and take their best players and bring them up to GR to fill in. Simon could not adapt to all the various player movements that were happening in those 2 seasons, while Dan Watson found ways to keep Toledo winning during those times.

Plus the Wings and Griffins ended up playing contrasting styles of play on the ice to each other and at times was tough to determine if the Wings were to call up a player from GR, who would be that player they would bring up. Another plus was that when Lalonde was the head coach in Toledo, Dan Watson was one of his assistants. They have a connection together. Watson since he took over as the Walleye head coach, had established a winning culture in Toledo, which Simon in his tenure in GR, did not.

Watson has won over 250 games for the Walleye, won 3 division titles, 1 Braham Cup (ECHL regular season champs) got the Walleye to 2 Kelly Cup Finals, and has a winning percentage of over .650. What else does he have to do to move up in the coaching ranks to get into the AHL? Plus he has Cossa playing for him right now and most likely be the starting goaltender for the Walleye when the ECHL playoffs start on Friday at Indy. If Cossa is suppose to be the Griffins goaltender for 2023-24 (starting or backup), who would you want as the Griffins coach to monitor his game, playing time, etc?

 

[Oddbob]

I’m in this boat. Echl is basically semi pro, it’s such a different league than the top level minor pro leagues. I think we could do better if the salary money is there

To me, he got a team in another league into the playoffs. Why him over any other coach in any other league that did well record wise?

 

[Oddbob]

The past 2 seasons, the Wings had several key players out for numerous amount of time and at various times throughout the season. When that happened, the Wings would pluck players from Grand Rapids and take our best players and move them up. The Griffins, for the most part, would do the same to Toledo and take their best players and bring them up to GR to fill in. Simon could not adapt to all the various player movements that were happening in those 2 seasons, while Dan Watson found ways to keep Toledo winning during those times.

Plus the Wings and Griffins ended up playing contrasting styles of play on the ice to each other and at times was tough to determine if the Wings were to call up a player from GR, who would be that player they would bring up. Another plus was that when Lalonde was the head coach in Toledo, Dan Watson was one of his assistants. They have a connection together. Watson since he took over as the Walleye head coach, had established a winning culture in Toledo, which Simon in his tenure in GR, did not.

Watson has won over 250 games for the Walleye, won 3 division titles, 1 Braham Cup (ECHL regular season champs) got the Walleye to 2 Kelly Cup Finals, and has a winning percentage of over .650. What else does he have to do to move up in the coaching ranks to get into the AHL? Plus he has Cossa playing for him right now and most likely be the starting goaltender for the Walleye when the ECHL playoffs start on Friday at Indy. If Cossa is suppose to be the Griffins goaltender for 2023-24 (starting or backup), who would you want as the Griffins coach to monitor his game, playing time, etc?

Winning is likely far easier in the ECHL than AHL. I am also not saying keep Simon, as he needed to go, this isn't a why him or Watson. That said, every league in the World has other coaches that have similar success recently, why is Watson the choice? There is very likely many better and realistic choices than an ECHL coach. Not saying Watson is a bad choice, but I feel like people are just saying him, cause Toledo went on a run and they then went and found out who is coaching them.

 

[ricky0034]

plenty of Coaches have gone from the ECHL to AHL

the Wings current head Coach literally did that and from the same ECHL team to boot

 

[ricky0034]

Winning is likely far easier in the ECHL than AHL. I am also not saying keep Simon, as he needed to go, this isn't a why him or Watson. That said, every league in the World has other coaches that have similar success recently, why is Watson the choice? There is very likely many better and realistic choices than an ECHL coach. Not saying Watson is a bad choice, but I feel like people are just saying him, cause Toledo went on a run and they then went and found out who is coaching them.

couldn't you say the same thing about the ECHL compared to Canadian Juniors or the USHL?

AHL coaches from Euro leagues isn't really a thing that happens so you're pretty much looking at ECHL, Juniors/USHL, guys without any head coaching experience who have been assistants in the AHL for a while, or occasionally a former NHL guy like Dan Bylsma that did poorly enough in their most recent NHL stop that they can't find another job there even with how much the league likes recycling Coaches

those are your options

 

[Oddbob]

couldn't you say the same thing about the ECHL compared to Canadian Juniors or the USHL?

AHL coaches from Euro leagues isn't really a thing that happens so you're pretty much looking at ECHL, Juniors/USHL, guys without any head coaching experience who have been assistants in the AHL for a while, or occasionally a former NHL guy like Dan Bylsma that did poorly enough in their most recent NHL stop that they can't find another job there even with how much the league likes recycling Coaches

those are your options

Not saying you can't, but people I think are just taking a guy with recent success on a team they know. There is plenty of others that did well, and none of us know really anything at all on whether he is or isn't a good coach or will be great in the AHL. Again, not against him, fine if he is the pick, but there are lots of choices, and my gut feeling is that Yzerman probably has 5-10 already in mind and Watson may be none of them.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Not saying you can't, but people I think are just taking a guy with recent success on a team they know. There is plenty of others that did well, and none of us know really anything at all on whether he is or isn't a good coach or will be great in the AHL. Again, not against him, fine if he is the pick, but there are lots of choices, and my gut feeling is that Yzerman probably has 5-10 already in mind and Watson may be none of them.

He's had many years of success there, it would make a lot of sense to bring him up a level. There's a coaching pipeline in organizations just like there is a player development pipeline, if you never bring Watson up he's going to get offers from others and you lose a good coaching "prospect".

 

[Peter Tosh]

What about Dan Cleary and Brian Lashoff? Will they maybe be involved in running GRG? Coach Lashoff and GM Cleary? Howard as G coach? Dekeyser as assistant coach?

 

[Henkka]

Maybe you go those career promotions as steps, Dan Watson is proably a candidate but could be AHL assistant as well.

No worry about this, Yzerman probably has the longest relations everywhere at the hockey world. Some european taste would also be nice to see at the final mix of staff.