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WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

Johnson Keen to Show Skills over Full Season in Brandon

June 11, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


At the best of times, getting traded to a new team over 2000 kilometers away in an entirely different country is going to be a huge adjustment for any young hockey player. That was only part of the challenge for Nick Johnson, however.

When Johnson came to the Brandon Wheat Kings from the Portland Winterhawks on January 10, 2024, he was still recovering from an injury he'd suffered prior to Christmas. He had to meet new teammates, move to a new billet house, learn a new system, and rehabilitate an injury that was keeping him out of games. Yet he maintained a positive outlook on it all.

"It was a little difficult at the start," Johnson said. "It's such a good group of guys that they made me feel welcome from day one. I think that's a special thing we have as a team, we're all really close together. They brought me in, so it was good on that end. I was out for so long and everything happened so quickly, but how it was handled and how everything played out, I couldn't have asked for a better transition."

Little by little, Johnson's power forward style of game began to show and it became clearer why the Wheat Kings had sought him in the trade. He mixed it up, threw some big hits, and had put together his first three-game point streak in Black and Gold, including his first goal with his new team. Unfortunately, just as he was finding his stride, injury struck again.

Returning to the lineup again in March, Johnson worked to bring himself back to the level he knew he could hit. His potential was probably best shown in the third period of the final game of the regular season against the Regina Pats. In that period, he scored a tying goal with a wicked one-timer off the rush and cartwheeled an opponent with a crushing bodycheck.

"That (showing that style of play) is my whole focus for next season," Johnson said. "I want a really good season, I want to become a fan favorite and do the best I can."

Health and familiarity will both help Johnson reach that goal. He has the summer to get back to full strength and gets to start with the team from day one in training camp instead of having to adjust on the fly.

"Being able to recover and going into something I know now, knowing what a good organization it is, I'm really excited to have a full season to show what I can do," he said.

As he leaves his injuries behind him, Johnson has a clear goal for the summer. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound power forward has shown he can handle the physical game with the best in the league. Now he wants to add another gear to his game in terms of footspeed.

"I'm focusing on getting healthy, getting back to normal," said Johnson. "Talking with the coaching staff, we all agree that one thing I can increase is overall speed, agility, and leg strength in the offseason. I'm really focusing on that. I think I've made tremendous progress so far."

Johnson added he knows the team will have heightened expectations this season, and that along with the strength of the forward group only adds to his excitement for the year ahead.

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