Kent Johnson has spent the past four weeks in Cleveland.
It’s a lovely town, but the hope is he won’t ever have to go back again.
The Blue Jackets made the decision to recall the young, talented forward today after he dominated the American Hockey League for the past month, and the ideal plan is for him to stay in Columbus from here on out.
He left little to prove in Cleveland, posting a 5-10-15 line in 10 games with the Monsters and ranking second in the league in points per game among players with double digits in appearances. That was also a major improvement from the one goal and two assists Johnson had in eight games to begin the season with the Blue Jackets.
“It’s long gone, but I don’t think I was my best (at the start),” he said today in the CBJ locker room after his first practice back with the team. “I don’t feel like I was getting as many chances or touches as normal.”
The Blue Jackets coaching staff sensed the same, and what had to be a difficult decision followed. The No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 draft debuted with the Blue Jackets days after signing a contract in the spring of 2022 and was with the team all last season, posting a 16-24-40 line that placed him third all-time among CBJ rookies in scoring.
He’d never had to make the trek up I-71 to the team’s minor league affiliate on the shores of Lake Erie, but the Blue Jackets decided that was the best place for him to try to get his game back this fall. To his credit, Johnson accepted the decision, put his head down and went to work.
“We sent him down with something very positive in mind – for him to get his confidence back,” Blue Jackets head coach Pascal Vincent said. “He took it like a man, he understood, and he did it right. And now there’s an opportunity for him to come back, and we’ll go from there.
“Those offensive guys, it’s all about confidence, and I think that’s what he did. I’m excited to have him back – really excited to have him back. He did it right. He approached the game properly, and we’re going to see what he’s got tomorrow, but we’re excited to have him back.”
Confidence seems to be the buzzword with Johnson, though as one of the most creative offensive players in the league, he rarely seems to be lacking it. At the same time, the move down to Cleveland allowed Johnson the chance to take on major minutes and play in all situations, and the 21-year-old responded with four multipoint games as well as a highlight-reel shootout tally this past Friday.
“I played a lot in a lot of different situations – during 3-on-3 overtime, playing center, which, it’s good getting reps in the middle, taking faceoffs, playing a lot on the power play,” said Johnson, who also got to play with one of his best friends, defenseman Jake Christiansen, in Cleveland. “I think it was just great to have the puck a lot and really get my game going.
“You can put as many hours in at practice, after practice, as you want, but it’s not like getting the puck in a game, having all the pressure in a game and making those reads. I think it was really good for me.”
Though Johnson did gets some reps at center in Cleveland, he’s expected to begin on the wing tomorrow when the Blue Jackets host Ottawa in Nationwide Arena, skating alongside Johnny Gaudreau and Boone Jenner. The Blue Jackets also plan to continue him on a personalized strength program that should help him in the one-on-one battles that can be difficult to win given his slight frame.
As Vincent has said, the Blue Jackets feel Johnson can be an elite player at the NHL level. Coming back from Cleveland with his confidence soaring, Johnson is ready to continue the journey to that point.
“I know I’m a good player no matter what, but I definitely feel more in a rhythm,” he said. “I played a lot of hockey, got a lot of touches, so I definitely feel pretty good.”
