Johnston played most of the season, and now the postseason, as the center on the second line with left wing Jamie Benn and a rotating right wing.
Benn, the Stars' 33-year-old captain, said Johnston "keeps me young. He keeps a lot of us old guys young." He figured Johnston, who had 20 shots on goal against Minnesota, would cash in eventually.
"I thought he was great all series," Benn said after Game 6. "He had a lot of looks, a lot of shots. He stuck with it. They weren't going in and sometimes that happens, but in a big moment he finds a way to score a goal and it ends up being the game-winner. I thought he had a great series and he got better as the games went on."
Johnston, the No. 23 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, played two seasons for Windsor of the Ontario Hockey League before turning pro. His second season (2021-22) began in frustration.
"Through 16 games, our team was around 8-8 and he was just under a point a game," Windsor coach Marc Savard said. "He said, 'Coach, what's going on? How am I going to get my stats up, help the team more?' I said, 'Everything I've seen, you're playing the right way. It's going to come.'"
Johnston finished with an OHL-leading 124 points (46 goals, 78 assists). He was OHL player of the month in December 2021 and January and March of 2022.
"I'm not going to lie, I was probably playing him 25-28 minutes a night," Savard said with a laugh. "He was getting plenty of looks, that's for sure, but he always stayed the same. He never cheated. He always played the right way."
Since arriving in Dallas, Johnston has lived with forward Joe Pavelski and his family. DeBoer said he saw it work while coaching the San Jose Sharks, where former forwards Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau regularly took young players into their homes.
"Who do you pick to do that? For me, 'Pav' was an easy one," DeBoer said. "One, what he represents as a person, a leader, a father, a husband, a role model. All those things. I don't think you could learn from a better guy on a day-to-day basis. Two, I knew (Joe's wife) Sarah Pavelski and their (12-year-old) son Nate from my time in San Jose, so I knew the family, I knew how great a situation it could be, and it's turned out that way. I think it's been fantastic."
Johnston said he does his part around the Pavelski household, from helping to prepare dinner to cleaning up afterward. He's also bonded with Nathan.
"We get to hang out, play some games, video games, mini sticks," Johnston said. "He's really competitive, Joe's son, which is not surprising, seeing Joe. It's fun just competing, maybe a little bit of chirping."
Savard, a 20-year-old rookie with the New York Rangers in 1997-98, said he would've loved to have had that setup when he first came into the NHL.
"With the Rangers, I was pretty lonely, and it was a big step, especially being in New York," he said. "To live with another player, that has to be great for him to show him the right way to be a pro right away. He would've been able to do it on his own, but living with a future Hall of Famer, most likely, benefits his growth."
Pavelski said Johnston has been eager to learn and heeds advice, especially about the ups and downs of the game.
"He's just a player that kind of keeps trying to learn and whether he's had a cold stretch or something, we talk about little things, how you get out of it," Pavelski said. "Just areas that pop up in a game, whether [or not] it's your first year.
"This year I went through a cold spell. Not the first time that's happened, not going to be the last. You have to have some type of foundation to get yourself out of certain areas. He's been tremendous, wanting to learn and then going out and doing it."
It's been a good first season for Johnston, and it's not over yet. He broke through at the end of the first round and hopes it's the first of many.
"Yeah, I feel pretty much every game there's a few chances that I was just thinking about and knowing that I had a good chance to bury them," he said. "Kind of felt like I was due to get one and I'm just working for the next chance, working for the next opportunity."
