However, the 19-year-old has more than made up for the lost time.
"He's right on track with his progression," Neil Graham said at Stars development camp earlier this month.
Graham, who is the coach of Texas of the American Hockey League, might be understating what Johnston has accomplished in the last year, though.
Johnston led the Canadian Hockey League -- which is comprised of the OHL, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and the Western Hockey League -- with 124 points (46 goals, 78 assists) in 68 games for Windsor last season, winning the Red Tilson Trophy as the OHL's most outstanding player during the regular season. His point total was the fifth highest in Windsor's history, and his 46 goals were the most since Steve Ott scored 50 in 2000-01.
Johnston remained hot during the OHL playoffs, leading all scorers with 41 points (14 goals, 27 assists) in 25 games. Windsor lost 6-1 in Game 7 of the OHL Championship Series to Hamilton.
"When you look at a player like that, the numbers and accolades in the regular season were extremely impressive," Graham said. "When you go on the type of run that his Windsor team had, right to the OHL finals against Hamilton, that's almost like another year of development in its own right. That experience, that climb, that competition trying to get to the Memorial Cup.
"In a short season, he made up for a lot in otherwise a year he would have played in that COVID year for the OHL."
This season, Johnston has his eyes set on making Dallas' roster when the team opens training camp on Sept. 21. But to do that, he'll have to overcome his slender frame (6-foot-1, 175 pounds) when going up against more mature NHL players.
"I know I need to get stronger. That's definitely one of my main focuses, especially this summer, is to get bigger, get stronger," Johnston said. "Being able to use my hockey IQ will really be able to help me a lot, even if I'm not as strong as some of the grown men I would be playing against in the NHL. … [It'll] help me win battles. I may not be able to outmuscle anyone, but I think being able to use my smarts to be able to compete and do well."
Graham said he believes Johnston has set himself up well for training camp, noting how much stronger he looks and how well he shoots the puck compared to when he coached him in the Traverse City Prospects Tournament in 2021.
"I think one of the biggest things with young players in general is their play away from the puck," Graham said. "Learning some of those pro habits, some of the details, it's not to be thinking defensively, it's so you're in the right position away from the puck to ensure you get that puck on your stick again quicker.
"He's a player that wants the puck on his stick, and I think as we see his game evolve and mature, a lot of that just comes with repetition and time."
