The Spanish U21 international joined the Cherries in the summer from Juventus and has slotted into the Bournemouth defence well when called upon.
Now, with Marcos Senesi set to be out of action for some time after needing surgery on a quadriceps injury, Huijsen has started each of the past three games and is set for a spell in the side.
Since making his debut on the opening day of the season at Nottingham Forest, Huijsen has looked mature beyond his years at the heart of the Bournemouth defence.
He has again shown that since returning to the starting 11, putting in a man of the match performance and scoring against Tottenham Hotspur before assured performances against Ipswich Town and West Ham.
(Image: Richard Crease) In all three games, 19-year-old Huijsen has started alongside fellow young players 21-year-old Milos Kerkez, 22-year-old Illia Zabarnyi as well as the experienced Adam Smith.
Huijsen exudes confidence in his own ability, and said he knew he was ready to move into a starting berth in the side.
Speaking about recent performances and the defensive unit at the club, he told the Daily Echo: “I thought in the last games we were pretty solid and it's going well.
“You know, they're all good players, so I enjoy playing with them.”
On his partnership with Zabarnyi at centre back, Huijsen said of the Ukrainian: “He's a great guy, a super professional and a great player, so it's great to play with him.”
(Image: Richard Crease) Huijsen’s confidence in his ability is echoed by his boss, Andoni Iraola, who told the Daily Echo that he belongs at the level of the Premier League.
Speaking on the centre back pairing of Huijsen and Zabarnyi, Iraola told the Daily Echo: “I think they are very, very young players, but especially Zaba [Zabarnyi] is adding a lot of experience.
“He's someone who's still very young, he has played a lot of games in a short space of time and Dean has a lot of self-confidence.
“I think he thinks, and he's right, that he belongs to the Premier League, to this level. And I'm very happy because being 19, 22, 21, Milos, having the performances they are having lately is very good for them and for us.”
(Image: Richard Crease) On Monday night, the Cherries put in a good defensive display against West Ham and were unfortunate to go behind to a penalty which left Iraola frustrated that it had been awarded.
But they drew level thanks to a sensational free kick from Enes Unal.
Huijsen said on the goal: “After training, we do some free kicks sometimes and I'm a defender, so I just watch.
“But he has a great technique on his free kick and a great shot in him, so I was pretty confident there was at least something coming out of that free kick.”