Johnson ready for bigger things to come after strong season

It seemed obvious watching Kent Johnson that the Blue Jackets forward learned a lot as his rookie season progressed.
Johnson would agree, and with one full NHL season now under his belt, he has some things he'd like to get even better at as well.

"I've definitely put some thought into it," Johnson said. "I will put some more thought into it, too, but in the season, all these little things that I think of, I definitely learned a lot. I can get into details, but it might take a while. I don't think I'll bore you with that, but there's definitely a lot of little areas."
It's OK, Kent. We're all ears.
"I think some little things as I get stronger, getting body position on guys," he said. "You see a guy like Johnny (Gaudreau), he's obviously not the strongest guy, but he gets body position early and then he looks pretty strong. Sometimes I do that, but just doing that more. Obviously I want to continue to work on all my strengths, too. Those can always get better. Work on my goal scoring a bit more."
In the end, Johnson's answer shows what people probably knew all along about the young standout -- he puts a lot of thought into his game.
Johnson is the kind of guy who eats, sleeps and breathes hockey, going back to the days he'd watch highlights of players and then head into his basement in suburban Vancouver to try to emulate their moves. To this day, he's usually one of the last players on the ice after team practices, spending extra time to see what creativity he can muster with the puck on his stick.
It's clear Johnson was blessed with a fair amount of talent and sees the game in a way most other players cannot, but let's also not kid ourselves. You aren't able to produce prodigious pieces of skill like the 'Michigan' goal he tallied to electrify Nationwide Arena late this past season without spending a lot of time honing your craft.

Add it all up and Johnson produced one of the top rookie campaigns in team history, even if he left wanting a bit more.
"I think the biggest thing for me I know I have full control of is my attitude and my work ethic," Johnson said. "So that, I'm proud of. I think I met those. Maybe statistically or whatever, I felt like I wanted to do a bit better, but I'm still not mad. I'm not really too worried about that. I try to not get too worked up in the numbers and stuff like that, but I definitely felt good and am pretty happy with where my game is at."
Of course, those numbers weren't bad at all. The No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 draft out of the University of MIchigan posted 16 goals and 40 points, numbers that place him third all-time among CBJ rookies in points (behind just Zach Werenski and Pierre-Luc Dubois) and tied for fourth all-time in goals (behind only teammate Kirill Marchenko, Dubois and a guy named Rick Nash). The 20-year-old also made his mark in the NHL ranks, placing sixth among NHL rookies in goals and fifth in points.

Time will tell just how good he can be, but Johnson projects as someone who can make an even bigger impact at the NHL level with his skill and creativity. The game appeared to slow down as the season went on for Johnson and his ability to manipulate time and space started to show more and more, and it's not hard to imagine him as a Gaudreau-type player who makes those around him better.
At the same time, he might end up at a different position. While Gaudreau has become one of the top play-making wings in the league throughout his career, Johnson grew up playing center and sees himself as someone whose ability to play responsibly but with the puck on his stick makes him best suited to the pivot. While he mostly skated on the wing this season, Johnson did spend some time in the middle when Boone Jenner went down with injury.
"I think I can play the position," Johnson said. "I was in there for a bit early in the year, and I felt pretty good. Obviously I think the faceoffs are something I can improve on. But look around the league, even (Seattle's Matty) Beniers, (Anaheim's Mason) McTavish, young guys that were always really good at faceoffs at their level weren't that good this year. It's just hard as a rookie. I think you just have to lose a lot and learn a lot.
"But I definitely think I can play the position. I talked to (Boone Jenner), he played wing his first five years. It doesn't mean I can't do it earlier, but I just think yeah, I can definitely play the position if need be, hopefully sooner rather than later."
Johnson won just 29.5 percent of faceoffs this year, so getting stronger in both the circle and in his overall game will be a key part of his offseason training in Vancouver. Still, it's clear there's a lot of potential for someone who showed what he can do at the NHL level this year.
"I definitely feel a lot better," Johnson said. "I've gotten a lot out of this year. It's sometimes hard to pinpoint all the little things, but so many little things. I think gaining experience and whatnot, I definitely have a lot of stuff to improve on this summer. It'll be a really big summer for me, and next year should be good."