Johnson's leadership qualities impress Sabres

BUFFALO -- Ryan Johnson has decided wearing blue, gold and white suits him well as he prepares to embark on the professional chapter of his hockey career with the Buffalo Sabres.

The defenseman, selected by the Sabres with the No. 31 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, signed his entry-level contract with Buffalo on May 27, seven weeks after his senior season with the University of Minnesota ended in a 2-1 overtime loss to Quinnipiac University in the NCAA Frozen Four Championship. The question of whether Johnson would sign has hovered over him since the Sabres called his name, but he was happy to answer in the affirmative.

"It feels really nice," Johnson said at Buffalo development camp earlier this month. "Honestly, it's been a gift to be around this team and be around the prospects. It was cool going to Rochester (of the American Hockey League) for one week too. But yeah, it's special being a part of the organization officially."

Johnson, who turned 22 on Monday, completed his collegiate career with 59 points (nine goals, 50 assists) in 143 games. He joined Rochester after signing for what was ultimately was the final week of its season, practicing with the team during their Calder Cup Playoff run.

"There's a lightness to him right now," Rochester coach Seth Appert said. "You can feel that there's a weight off his shoulders, he feels good with his decision, and he's excited to be here. We're obviously very excited to have him."

Nathan Paetsch, named an assistant on Appert's staff July 10, developed a special bond with Johnson over the past three seasons as a development coach with the Sabres. Though their relationship began with hockey, it's evolved into a friendship -- "We lean on each other," Paetsch said -- with lengthy phone calls that sometimes have nothing to do with the game.

That will continue in the AHL, where it's expected Johnson will play a top role as a rookie.

"He's an excellent skater," Paetsch said. "He's always got such a high work ethic. That's what makes him special. Hockey games, in practice, he's always working to get better, and he puts his best foot forward every single day."

A lot has changed in Buffalo since 2019. Kevyn Adams replaced Jason Botterill as general manager nearly a year later and soon after that, there were sweeping changes across the hockey department, including to the scouting and development staffs. The organization has also since put new coaching staffs in place at the NHL and AHL levels.

Johnson, too, has changed. In addition to his progress on the ice, he has grown an inch and added 20 pounds (now 6-foot, 170 pounds) and has gone from being a quiet 17-year-old to taking on a leadership role at Minnesota, where he served as an alternate captain last season, and at development camp this year.

"I kind of learned that area where we had a lot of freshman young guys coming in and got to learn to kind of lead in that way," Johnson said. "I think developmental-wise, we had a lot of good defensemen on our team, so it was just kind of learning to how to play in that area where it's giving the best you can each shift. Whether I was playing less, I feel like I just kind of learned to just stay cool and just really just give my best effort every game."

His growth as a player and a person has been evident.

"He's just really confident in who he is as a person and he's genuine, just a great human being," Paetsch said. "He's a pleasure to be around and I think he's just gained confidence, especially going back, playing four years college, he took a leadership role. You could just see he's beaming with confidence."

Appert has only known him a short while, first getting to work with him at development camp last year, but he's already impressed.

"He's just a really, really high-quality human being," he said. "Strong character, comes from a great family, hockey family. And now he has four years of college experience under his belt, one of the best programs in the country, great coaching staff, and there's a reason he was picked in the first round.

"He has first-round athleticism and explosiveness and you don't find a lot of defensemen that can skate and defend the way that he can."