Dan Watson Named Central Division Coach for the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic in Rockford

Photo Credit: Grand Rapids Griffins

For the second season in a row, Grand Rapids Griffins’ Head Coach Dan Watson was named Coach of the Central Division at the AHL All-Star Classic. This year’s event, hosted by the Rockford IceHogs, will take place at the BMO Center in Rockford, Illinois, on February 10 and 11, 2026.

Watson clinched the honor on Friday, December 19, 2025, when the Griffins beat the Iowa Wild, 6-2, improving their record to 24-1-0-1. By the end of the weekend, Grand Rapids had a 25-1-0-1 record, making them the fastest team in the 90-year history of the AHL to reach 50 points in a season.

Only three other Griffins coaches have earned the honor: Todd Nelson (2017), Jeff Blashill (2014), and Bruce Cassidy (2002, 2001). He is the only one in Grand Rapids’ AHL history to attend two All-Star events. Cassidy earned the honor for the Griffins the last year they were in the IHL, and then again the first year they were in the AHL.

For Watson, the honor is great, but it wouldn’t have happened without the staff and players. “It’s everyone collectively. I’m just the guy that gets to go and do it,” Coach Watson humbly said. “Obviously, the staff has been unbelievable with what they do. And the players go out there and do it every day. That’s why we have our record, because they show up every single day and put the work in.”

With the way the Griffins have been playing, Watson will likely have two or three players joining him in Rockford in February.