NHL Draft profile: Kent Johnson

BlueJackets.com is running feature stories profiling the top nine players in our consensus poll for the upcoming NHL Draft, which is scheduled to begin Friday, July 23. Columbus will select fifth overall in the draft with the chance to add a high-level player -- likely from this group -- to the organization.
The question is a bit of an obvious one.
How did Kent Johnson, a projected top-10 pick in the NHL draft and one of the most skilled players available in his age group, end up going from his home in Vancouver to the University of Michigan for his draft year, rather than coming up through the high-profile Canadian junior system?

It took a combination of factors to make it so. He was a somewhat a late bloomer, moving up the ranks until a dominant final season in the BCHL at age 17. He has a late birthday in October, so he'd actually play most of his draft year at age 18, making him more physically ready for the college level. And the college ranks are attractive to many players in the BCHL, who often head to the U.S. to continue their hockey careers and get their education.
"I think both routes (college and the CHL) are great, and I would suggest younger kids just think about both," Johnson said. "Don't just be stubborn or stick in one; definitely see out both paths. For me, when I was younger, I was maybe a bit of a late bloomer. I just went to the BCHL after my 16-year-old year and I loved playing in Trail.
"I saw the opportunity with the late birthday to be able to play college hockey in my draft year, and it was a great development path for me."
It's fair to say things have worked out for Johnson. The 6-1, 187-pounder -- who placed eighth in our consensus poll of the top players available in this year's draft, per NHL prospect experts -- had a wildly successful freshman year for the Wolverines.
After a 41-goal, 101-point season in 52 games with the Trail Smoke Eaters of the BCHL in 2019-20, Johnson showed up at Michigan and was a point-per-game player, posting a 9-18-27 line in 26 games.
"I think I just learned some areas I can try to improve in, (that) maybe I didn't see as much playing in the BCHL because I was obviously dominating every night," Johnson said. "I think just for me, getting a bit more explosive will help, but definitely it was good to see a lot of my offensive instincts and a lot of my plays translating to creating offense in college."
To Michigan head coach Mel Pearson, Johnson -- rated the No. 3 North American skater available by the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau in its season-ending rankings -- was someone who got better as the college hockey season went on and he became more accustomed to the higher level.
The skill always has been there for someone who says he most watches NHL stars Patrick Kane and Elias Pettersson to improve his game, but Johnson figured out how to use it more and more as the season passed by.
"I wasn't a very good player, but I didn't even think of the stuff that he does," Pearson said. "He's a little bit like a Quinn Hughes, just at forward. Just his brain offensively - he has a great stick, can score, can make plays.
"He's probably one of two guys who would have been our most improved player from the year. He played at a different position this year than he normally is used to. He came in, got off to a good start and not a great start, and the second half he was just dynamite."
Johnson is rated by the CSB as a center and played that when he was with the Smoke Eaters, but he got more time at wing with the Wolverines. Whether he'll eventually slot in at the pivot or is best as a top-six winger remains to be seen, but Johnson said he's willing to do whatever he can to make it to the highest level.
"I think just adapting to switching back to the wing and playing a bit of a different role and a different style," he said when asked what made him the Wolverines' most improved player as the year went in. "The game in college, you're playing faster. I think at the end of the year I was definitely picking my spots a little better on when to slow the game down and when to play with some pace. I think that was good at the end of the year."
Johnson is one of three players who suited up for Michigan last year who could go in the top 10, joining defenseman Owen Power and center Matty Beniers, and the trio clearly enjoyed playing with one another last season.
"He's a great person, a great player," Beniers said of Johnson. "He has 'super skill,' is what I like to say. He sees the ice well, really good stick skills, can score goals, make plays, pass the puck. He's got a lot of skill. Also, he's getting a lot better at defense.
"A lot of the guys moving into the college level, you see them figuring out that you have to be good on both ends of the puck, and I think he was one of them that was really good this year at going into corners and winning battles. I think that gets overlooked a little bit, but I think it's a lot better than people think."

What they're saying

Draft Prospects Hockey draft guide:
"Ultra-skilled, electrifying, puck magician, offensive winger. A real play driver. Attacks the offensive zone with confidence. This playmaker has arguably the best hands in the draft class. Able to carry the puck from his own zone to the offensive zone and beat multiple defenders one-on-one before deking the goalie for a goal all in a split second. He constantly stickhandles his way out of tight situations."
HockeyProspect.com Black Book:
"Johnson is a dynamic, playmaking center, who relies on his impressive level of deception and creativity to remain unpredictable. ... In order for him to become a dominant center, he's going to have to further reduce his rate of risk in all three zones, learn how to become more responsible defensively, and gain the balance through an increase in strength necessary to be harder to knock off the puck, when defenses manage to recognize what he's attempting to do in advance. If those areas are improved, then there's very little stopping him from becoming a 2nd line, play driving center, who can use his imagination to generate some jaw dropping plays."
Chris Peters, Hockey Sense:
"One of the most creative, gifted puck handlers in this class, Johnson is a player with so many more options than the average forward. He's got the skill to beat defenders one-on-one, but mixes that with poise and patience to let the game come to him and exploit the openings that he finds just by holding onto the puck. The game seems to slow down for Johnson when he has the puck on his stick and it makes him one of the more dangerous forwards in this draft."