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Prospect Info: Ryan Johnson, D, 2019 #31 overall: Signed, Rochester (AHL), Recalled 12/5/24

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On the tele if you have BTN tomorrow. Sadly its during the Sabres game. I will be recording it to watch with am coffee on Saturday.
 
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So my thoughts on Johnson from yesterday. Honestly thought he was the best defenseman with Regula. He's rock solid defensively. Like a total defensive stud. Amazing backskating and recovery skating. Good positioning, knew when to step up to tie up and when to back off. Made the best outlet passes of anyone, moves the puck through the neutral zone well. In fact I dont remember a single turnover or pass intercepted that he made. Jumped up into the play/rush a couple of times and both times resulted in a 3 on 2. He is very smart when picking his spots.

The actual scrimmage was set up as a 24 min period, 6 mins 4 on 4 and a shootout. Took 20 min intermission then played another 24 min, 6 more 3 on 3 and then another shootout. They had some guys from camp play with the U18 team since there were extras there. Johnson played with the main team for the first half. Played big minutes. Left side at even strength and PK and the right side on the PP. Had his point shot on the PP tipped by Kaliyev for a goal.

2nd half they had him and Regula switch to play for the other side with the U18's. Here's where he really started to impress me. They matched him up with Kaliyev's line the entire time. As good as Kaliyev was and I thought he was one of the best players out there, Johnson shut him down. He never gave him good shot looks and forced him to pass. This was prevalent when he was on the PK Kaliyev wasn't able to shoot the puck or move it anywhere but back to the point. Johnson was continually shutting down and disrupting the passing lanes to down low both in front of the net and behind it. His stick was incredibly active.

All in all he was great, best defenseman out there. Score was 1-1 after the first and ended 3-2 in a U18 win. Johnson was on the ice for two of the 3 goals scored for his teams and wasn't on the ice for a single goal against. Didn't get a shootout opportunity. He played major minutes and looked great as a shutdown dman so I was surprised to hear he was cut today. Thought he was way better than Jones. Maybe the fact he played with the U18 team meant they had already made up their minds, but who knows. He reminds me a lot of Pysyk at this point in his development. He's a prototypical modern day mobile defenseman.
 
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My problem was not that Johnson is weaker as a player than Kaliyev, Brink or Hoglander but in Jones’s position, we already have a lot of prospects in defense and there is not a single really decent prospect on the wing, it seems Thompson alone, but he is not our choice.
 
What has happened to U of Minnesota? They were a powerhouse for so long but when I watched them a few years ago to watch Mitts I couldn’t believe how awful the talent on the team was. Doesn’t look like they have improved since.
 
flashsabre said:
What has happened to U of Minnesota? They were a powerhouse for so long but when I watched them a few years ago to watch Mitts I couldn’t believe how awful the talent on the team was. Doesn’t look like they have improved since.
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The rise of programs around here have made it harder to recruit. UMD, Minnesota State, Bemidji State, Lake Superior, St.Cloud State and of course UND. Plus the change in staff. Guys you would normally expect to go to the U are now looking at all these other nearby options.
 
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For those who have a moment, NBC is showing Minny vs. Notre Dame right now. Clean link here - NBC Sports

Johnson is #23. The Gophers just peppered Morris with 14 shots in the first, to only 1 for the Irish.
 
He's still playing on his off-hand side. He was -1 in the period (not his fault, had angled his man well away from the net but the goalie let in something a bit soft five-hole. He drew a penalty late in the 2nd on a spin move in his own zone where he was tripped. So far, reliable defense. *shrug*
 
Chainshot said:
He's still playing on his off-hand side. He was -1 in the period (not his fault, had angled his man well away from the net but the goalie let in something a bit soft five-hole. He drew a penalty late in the 2nd on a spin move in his own zone where he was tripped. So far, reliable defense. *shrug*
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Yeah, I caught quite a bit of the 2nd period yesterday. Seemed obvious to me that he's not quite comfortable playing his off-side, but looked solid defensively. Seemed quite positionally sound and moved the puck well enough. Liked what I saw.
 
Zman5778 said:
Yeah, I caught quite a bit of the 2nd period yesterday. Seemed obvious to me that he's not quite comfortable playing his off-side, but looked solid defensively. Seemed quite positionally sound and moved the puck well enough. Liked what I saw.
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Yeah, I'm of the same mind in the games I've seen this year. He remains committed to making sure his end is handled. Will's review from last year remains accurate. It would be nice to see him develop the offensive side of his game, and that may come in time with opportunity. He isn't getting any PP time for one thing and that's going to drive some of that. He's smart, that comes through.

Yet he's never going to shake who he is not. And that's sad.
 
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Wheeler: Risers and fallers since the 2019 NHL Draft

Fallers


Ryan Johnson, LHD, 6-foot (Buffalo Sabres/University of Minnesota)

Actual draft pick: No. 31

My final ranking: No. 59

The Golden Gophers’s seven-man blue line was a little crowded this year, making it tough on Johnson to separate himself from the pack as the go-to guy, particularly once fellow freshman Jackson LaCombe (Ducks) outplayed him, and the concerns I had with him as a late-first round pick were reinforced throughout the year. Johnson is a smooth, heady defender who plays an efficient, calculated game. But he doesn’t have a dynamic quality to any of his skills and he’s not a long defender so even if he progresses well across the board and becomes a solid two-way defender, he’s not going to be a huge special teams guy. It was a bit weird pick and then he followed it up with an OK year. I suspect he spends a full four years in college and that the end result is an NHL regular but not one who moves the needle.
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