Ryan Johnson

July 2019 – Johnson can be a solid top-four defenseman in the NHL one day. He’s coming off of a great campaign with Sioux Falls and will be playing for the University of Minnesota next season. There is a chance that the 17-year-old could pay on his wrong side and play alongside Jackson LaCombe (Anaheim Ducks prospect). In terms of his skill-set, Johnson isn’t a physical specimen, but he’s dependable in all three zones. His skating is top-notch. Johnson’s edge-work is on par with defenseman who was taken higher than him in the 2019 draft (I.e. Bowen Byram, Philip Broberg). Sometimes, he’ll get out of position and create a pinch. It has worked out well in the USHL, but he’ll need to be a bit more cautious about how frequent he creates pinches in the offensive zone. Yet, when he creates a pinch, he moves right to the net and attempts to create scoring chance after scoring chance. On the blue-line, he shows stay-at-home tendencies. He’s always moving and ready for anything. He’ll shift back and forth across the blue-line in an effort to prevent a potential breakout. If there is one area in his game that needs further development it’s his physicality. Josh Tessler

June 2019 – Johnson has been drafted 31st overall by the Sabres. Josh Tessler