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Preds’ prospect Watson to make NHL debut

austinwatsongetty

One cannot blame Nashville Predators fans who pine to see recently acquired prospect Filip Forsberg enjoy his first bit of NHL action. They’ll get a taste of a different first-rounder on Sunday, however, as Austin Watson is set to play his first game at the highest level.

Watson, 21, was the 18th overall pick of the 2010 NHL Draft. He gets thrown right into the fire as Nashville faces the Chicago Blackhawks tonight.

If his Hockey’s Future write-up is any indication, Watson is the type of player who should fit well into head coach Barry Trotz’s system.

Watson is a solid two-way center but with the versatility to play the wing and the shutdown role against the opposition’s best forwards. He can take over games with his effort and determination. The big forward does all the little things well in order to win hockey games: blocking shots, making the big hit, winning the important face-offs and scoring the timely goals. The first round pick has good offensive skills but does not project into a big goal scorer at the NHL level just a solid shutdown center with some offensive upside. Watson is the type of player that a team needs to win playoff games and championships.

The Tennessean’s Josh Cooper reports that Watson will replace injured forward Mike Fisher in the lineup.