"I started off the season last year pretty bad," Johansson said. "I wanted more for myself. There was a time there it was hard. We changed coaches, the team was struggling too. With the new coach (Roger Melin), I think I played better at the end of the season.
"As I see it now after the season, I think I learned about just handling the pressure. There were expectations there (in Sweden), too. I had a good year there the year before, so I had to perform and I think I learned a lot about how to handle the pressure this time around. I improved some things in hockey too, but more around how to handle things, I think that's what I learned a lot about this year."
Beyond navigating the mounting weight of being a first-round draftee, in year two of development camp, Johansson said he has found a sense of comfort and feels better prepared coming into camp.
Last year's whirlwind of the NHL combine, followed by the draft and then into camp left him feeling untrained and lethargic. That's not the case this year as he aims to improve in every aspect of his game, mainly adding strength to his 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame, and working to control his skating and speed.
"He looks much better here than he did last season," said Wild director of player development Brad Bombardir. "Actually, he looks better now than he did at the end of the season in Des Moines about a month and a half ago [when he joined the Iowa Wild as a black ace during its Calder Cup playoff run]. He's been working on it a little bit.
"He puts a lot of pressure on himself. That's the kind of guy he is. He wants to do well. He wants to almost be perfect sometimes. …He wants to compete. He wants to compete hard. He wants to be quick. He wants to do the right things all the time. I think that's just the kind of person he is."
Bombardir anticipates even better competition in Sweden this year will help push and develop Johansson. Leksands IF was promoted to the top tier in the SHL and will compete as such for the 2019-20 season.