In Friday’s penultimate preseason game, a home dress rehearsal for a predominantly NHL team, Red Wings forward Austin Watson made a lasting impression.

In the middle of the first third, star defender Moritz Seider got into a scuffle with Senators striker Jan Jenik. Watson intervened, dropped his gloves and dragged Jenik, Ottawa forward Zach MacEwen and a linesman across the ice while throwing punches. It was a message not to mess with Detroit’s stars, even if it cost Watson a ejection, part of 27 minutes in the shootout that left the Red Wings outnumbered by seven minutes.

For this skirmish, despite the penalties, Watson was signed to a professional tryout contract. He’s a heavyweight, a player who does hard things so his teammates don’t have to. And Detroit certainly appreciated his toughness.

“I like it. “I think it gives our guys energy,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said after the game. “Obviously Mo is a very important player for us.” We don’t want him to get into that situation . And I actually really liked it.”

Apparently also general manager Steve Yzerman, who signed Watson to a one-year contract on Monday. It’s a two-way deal, not one-way like Watson wanted. But the signing reflects both Detroit’s desire to add grit to the lineup and Watson’s ability to do so.

“For me, it’s the ability to bring some physicality, be tough to play against and stand up for guys when I need to,” Watson said Wednesday about what drew him to Detroit. “I thought it could be a good fit for both sides.”

Watson has been in this position before, having signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning last season following a successful PTO. This process once again prepared Watson to turn a tryout into a contract.

“After only playing 30 games this year (last season), I had some expectation that this might be the case,” Watson said Wednesday. “And having been through it once, I think it’s gotten a little bit easier.”

But Watson also made life easier for himself by proving he’s not a one-dimensional enforcer. He fights, but he also has other skills. And if liking Watson’s fight and signing him are two different things, it takes more than just hard fists to get an NHL contract in today’s NHL. During his PTO, Watson demonstrated his ability to impact games in different ways.

If Detroit wanted to see his skills, Watson showed it when he made a beautiful backdoor pass to linemate Tyler Motte in the Red Wings’ first preseason game. If Detroit wanted Watson’s physicality to extend beyond lost gloves, he scored 12 goals in his preseason game in Pittsburgh, more than twice as many as the next closest teammate. And if Detroit wanted to see that Watson could compete in games where the going wasn’t too difficult, then Watson was able to block some shots and kill penalties against an NHL-heavy Toronto lineup in Saturday’s final preseason game in Toronto.

Watson showed everything he could do in all facets of the game for Detroit, which earned him his big contract. This was Watson’s plan all along, and he used his niche role to turn a low-profile tryout into a spot on the NHL roster.

It’s a role Watson created specifically for himself to play in the NHL. He jokes that he’s tired of riding buses, that he loves playing in the NHL and that he’s found a way to stay here. As a former first-round pick, Watson came into the league with plenty of skill, but that can only go so far.

“Can you get good at the intangibles?” Watson explained his career choices. “Can you get good at forechecking? Can you get good at playing in your own space? Can you get good at penalty shootouts? Lots of things like that. And sometimes guys don’t want that.”

Watson did all of that and that’s why he has a job with the Red Wings.

In today’s NHL, the role of enforcer requires a player to be more competent. The days of hired gun guards are long gone, because before Watson himself entered high school, he wasn’t even a senior.

While the fight was a big exclamation point for Watson, the other film he put together was just as valuable. As early as the second day of training camp, September 20, Lalonde said of adding a physical element: “If done right, I think it’s extremely valuable. Obviously we have certain skills. We want these skills to be enjoyable in the way they play, and that can sometimes look different. So we would obviously be happy to have that element if it fits.” Watson has proven he fits the bill with his striking, his penalty-taking and his ability to create attacks.

Even in the game where he was sent off for fighting, Watson showed these traits, with Lalonde praising: “It’s amazing, just a guy with that mentality helps the group tremendously. Up until that point, Austin had been good at his game.” He took penalties, he had a prime chance at the back door, five on five. He also did some good things with his game.

Watson did a lot of good things during his professional tryout and now he has earned a contract. It’s not that often that players receive NHL deals from PTOs, so it’s a testament to both Detroit’s need for physicality and Watson’s ability to achieve it that he was given a contract.