Camp Notebook | Johnson seizing opportunity as veteran leader

Since moving to Buffalo just over two weeks ago, Erik Johnson has spent time getting to know his new city and teammates. After spending the previous 13 seasons in Colorado, Johnson has leaned on a familiar face – Sabres captain Kyle Okposo – to help him get adjusted to his new routine.  

While the defenseman has asked many questions to his childhood teammate and college roommate, the Sabres’ young roster has taken advantage of having another veteran in town, asking Johnson for advice and listening to stories about his experiences in the league. It has served as a preview of what’s to come this season, with the team expected to take great strides under the leadership of Okposo and Johnson.

“He's a great guy and really helping me so far, and you can tell how much influence he has here on these younger guys,” Johnson said about Okposo. “Hopefully, we can be a good tandem for these guys.

“He's a great dude. I'm just happy to be able to play with him again. Hopefully, it can come full circle and we can win a Cup together. That would be super cool. Definitely one of our goals.”

During the free-agency process, Johnson felt Buffalo was the best fit for him due to the direction the team was headed in and the talent he saw general manager Kevyn Adams secure under long-term contracts. Although his deal is only for one year, Johnson hopes he can be here even longer to help the team achieve its goal of bringing home the Stanley Cup.

“When you just look at the talent up and down the lineup, this team is set up for success for many, many years,” Johnson said. “So, it was exciting from my standpoint to come here and be part of it.

“You want to be on a good team, and you want to be on a team that's going to be good for a long time. And I think whether I'm here this year, another year or whatever, I just wanted to be a part of it because I think they can do something special, and I can help them be a part of it.”

Entering his 17th NHL season, Johnson knows a thing or two about winning and staying in shape. The Bloomington, Minn., native has enjoyed sharing the lessons he’s learned over the course of his career, making his impact and presence known in a short period of time.

The 35-year-old’s advice on rest and recovery even encouraged Rasmus Dahlin to buy a sauna, after hearing about Johnson’s “sauna club” in Denver.

“I’ve been telling those guys that to have a long, successful career, it’s as much about what you do off the ice to get yourself ready to go on the ice,” Johnson said. “I’ve just been telling these guys what it takes, and they’ve been asking questions and I’ve been answering them.”

Johnson hopes to help his young teammates learn good habits, just as he did when he was younger from looking up to veteran players. He feels as if it’s a part of his responsibility to spread his knowledge and experience after winning the Cup as a member of the Avalanche in 2022.

“He’s won a Cup. … He’s played on teams that have really struggled and he’s played on unbelievable hockey teams,” Sabres forward Alex Tuch said. “I think we’re all going to learn a lot from him. I’m going to try to learn as much as I can from him.”

Here are more notes from Day 2 of on-ice sessions at LECOM Harborcenter.

1. Ethan Miedema skated with Team White, filling in for Okposo, who was absent from practice to speak at a United Nations event. Miedema played alongside Aleksandr Kisakov and Brandon Biro.

Here’s how the two teams lined up:

Team Blue Training Camp Lines – 09/22

Forwards:

Jiri Kulich - Casey Mittelstadt - Alex Tuch

JJ Peterka - Dylan Cozens - Isak Rosen

Zemgus Girgensons - Tyson Kozak - Linus Weissbach

Filip Cederqvist - Justin Richards - Olivier Nadeau

Defensemen:

Owen Power - Henri Jokiharju

Mattias Samuelsson - Erik Johnson

Mats Lindgren - Joseph Cecconi

Norwin Panocha - Zach Metsa

Goaltenders:

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Dustin Tokarski

Team White Training Camp Lines – 09/22

Forwards:

Jeff Skinner - Tage Thompson - Zach Benson

Jordan Greenway - Tyson Jost - Victor Olofsson

Aleksandr Kisakov - Brandon Biro – Ethan Miedema

Brett Murray - Peyton Krebs - Lukas Rousek

Defensemen:

Rasmus Dahlin - Connor Clifton

Riley Stillman - Jacob Bryson

Ryan Johnson - Kale Clague

Nikita Novikov - Jeremy Davies

Goaltenders:

Devon Levi

Eric Comrie

Devin Cooley

2. Following practice, Tuch spoke with the media about what the final weeks of last season were like, as the Sabres made a playoff push and fell just one point short of postseason play.

He expressed how the experience showed the young group what it can do and made them hungry for more.

“We can dominate in this league. I really believe it,” Tuch said.

He also stressed what it’s like to have a coach like Don Granato leading the way behind the bench.

“There's no ego in Don Granato, there's no ‘I'm above you because I'm the coach’ kind of mentality,” Tuch said. “He treats everyone like his equal. It really goes a long way. Makes it more personable, and he's the ultimate player's coach. But he also really pushes you to get the best out of yourself each and every day.”

3. As Devon Levi approaches what could be his first full NHL season, the goaltender reflected on what gives him his confidence on the ice. He credits “just having fun and being himself” for his success so far in his hockey career.

“He's just got swagger. I think that's what gives me the most confidence in him,” Casey Mittelstadt said. “He's got swagger. He wants to make big saves. He wants to play in big games. And just seeing the way he works day in, day out. I mean, the guy never leaves the net. So, definitely very impressive. And we're extremely lucky to have him.”

4. Former Sabres goaltender Craig Anderson took in practice from the stands for the second day in a row.

While Levi was excited to see Anderson and spent time with him over dinner, the 21-year-old wasn’t exactly surprised to see him show up at training camp.

“A little bit, yeah. But I knew he’d come around,” Levi said. “He loves it here, so he wouldn’t miss out on any of it.”