NHL Roster Moves: Red Wings Recall Austin Watson & Brogan Rafferty

The Detroit Red Wings have announced that they have recalled forward Austin Watson and defenseman Brogan Rafferty from the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, under emergency conditions.

UPDATE: The #RedWings have recalled Austin Watson and Brogan Rafferty from the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins under emergency conditions. pic.twitter.com/z9Fp9Q4vlr
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 21, 2025

Watson, 33, has appeared in two games this season with the Red Wings, where he has zero points, six hits, and a minus-2 rating. Down in the AHL with Grand Rapids this campaign, he has 16 goals, 37 points, 94 penalty minutes, and a plus-9 rating in 56 games.

Earlier this month, the Red Wings signed Watson to a one-year, two-way contract extension for the 2025-26 season. In 517 career games split between the Nashville Predators, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Red Wings, the 2010 first-round pick has 60 goals, 58 assists, 118 points, 707 penalty minutes, and 1,215 hits.

Rafferty, 29, has spent each of the last two seasons with the Griffins but has yet to make his Red Wings regular-season debut. In 50 games this season with Grand Rapids, the 6-foot-1 defenseman has six goals, 19 points, and a minus-6 rating.

In three career NHL games, Rafferty has one assist and a minus-1 rating. His last appearance at the NHL level was with the Vancouver Canucks during the 2020-21 season.