COMETS RELEASE DEFENSEMAN CLIFF WATSON
Jan 7, 2018Utica, NY – Utica Comets General Manager Ryan Johnson announced today that the club has released defenseman Cliff Watson from his professional tryout contract.
Watson, 24, skated in six games with the Comets this season registering one assist. In addition, the defenseman has appeared in 21 ECHL games with the Utah Grizzlies collecting 14 points (6-8-14) and earning an ECHL All-Star roster selection. The Appleton, Wisconsin native is playing in his first professional season out of Michigan Tech where he amassed 42 points (8-34-42) and 172 penalty minutes in 162 career NCAA games.
Watson was originally drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the sixth round, 168th overall, at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
The 2018 AHL All-Star Classic will be hosted at the newly renovated Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. The two-day event includes the AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday, January 28, followed by the AHL Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony on Monday, January 29 and the 2018 AHL All-Star Challenge later that evening. The Skills Competition and the All-Star Challenge will take place in downtown Utica; all other events during the All-Star Classic will take place at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York. For tickets to the two-day event, visit empirestatetix.com.