TOLEDO, Ohio - Toledo Walleye head coach Dan Watson has earned some hardware in his first season behind the bench.
Watson was named ECHL Coach of the Year Tuesday, winning the John Brophy Award. In just his first season as head coach, Watson led the Walleye to a Toledo ECHL record 51 wins and the teams second Brabham Cup Championship in the past three years. Toledo won the Central Division as well for its third straight division crown and third straight postseason appearance with the second most points (106) in Toledo ECHL history.
“To be recognized for this honor is very humbling,” said Watson. “The ECHL is full of many coaches worthy of this, and to be chosen from that group is special. This really is a team award and the accomplishments that we reached because of the players executing the game plans on the ice. I give a ton of credit to my staff especially assistant coach Andy Delmore for all of the hard work that they put in over the course of the year.”
Watson has been with the Walleye since their inaugural season, joining the team in 2009 as an assistant coach. He played professionally for 16 seasons, retiring in 2007 after playing one season with the Toledo Storm.