He has effortless, multi-directional mobility with first-step quickness, terrific edgework and the ability to stop and turn against the flow of pressure easily and punctually. His escapability and poise with the puck makes him a calming presence in chaotic situations. The hockey sense is there in spades. He thinks and feels the game very well. Ryan has great spatial awareness, he understands where players have moved to even if he’s not facing them, he understands the geometry of the rink perfectly. His skill level has improved over the course the season. Early in the year, he was able to beat players mostly on skating prowess, now he’s able to make hands plays that really make an impact – both on the rush and when he’s already in the offensive zone. The next challenge will be his ability to string consecutive technical skill plays together – whether it be beating F1 and threading a nice pass against the flow of pressure or making a move to work in down low in the attack zone and making a finishing pass or shot. Johnson is a modern defender in the sense that he’s a mobile, stick first rear guard who really doesn’t like to get too engaged physically. He fronts a lot of plays as opposed to wallowing in the mire of a net-mouth battle. His stick positioning and timing are both excellent. To boot, he almost never gives up his leverage by leaving his feet – they’re his best weapon and he knows it. While he has shown the ability to carry pucks, it didn’t appear that that was in the Sioux Falls playbook very much. And if it was, Johnson didn’t always look like he wanted to be tasked with that. While we have a lot of respect for his poise and calm demeanor, there is such a thing as too cool. We would have liked to have seen a little bit more of a take-charge attitude sometimes and not the let the game come to him quite so often. That lack of killer instinct may help to explain his somewhat disappointing point totals. Though, he wasn’t used as the primary power play quarterback for much of the year (Max Crozier took that time for blueliners on a four-forward power play).
Regardless, from the sounds of it, this kid is exactly the type of defenseman we don't have anywhere in our system. If he hits, I'll be very, very happy to have someone with his skillset on our blue line.
