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Erik Johnson Biography
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Erik Johnson
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| Born | March 21, 1988 , Bloomington, MN, USA |
| Height Weight |
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 240 lb (109 kg; 17 st 2 lb) |
| Position | Defense |
| Shoots | Right |
| NHL team | St. Louis Blues |
| NHL Draft | 1st overall, 2006 St. Louis Blues |
| Pro career | 2007 – present |
Erik Johnson (born March 21, 1988 in Bloomington, Minnesota) is an American ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the St. Louis Blues in the National Hockey League. He played for the National Team Development Program before being drafted 1st overall by the Blues in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.
Contents |
Playing career
Junior career
Johnson played hockey for the Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, Minnesota before transferring to Ann Arbor, Michigan to play for the National Team Development Program (NTDP). He was a member of the 2007 U20 American team that won a Bronze Medal in the U20 World Championships. Johnson was named to the tournaments All-Star Team and was named the Tournaments Best Defenseman. Johnson finished the tournament with 4 goals and 6 assists for 10 points, becoming the first defenseman to lead the tournament in scoring. He attended the University of Minnesota and was signed by the St. Louis Blues on April 20, 2007.1
Johnson is one of the few Americans to have been chosen first in the NHL Entry Draft. The previous American to be chosen first overall was goaltender Rick DiPietro in 2000 by the New York Islanders. Mike Modano and Brian Lawton were also top American draft picks in 1988 and 1983 respectively, having both been selected first overall by the Minnesota North Stars. American Patrick Kane followed Johnson the following year going first overall.
St. Louis Blues
Erik Johnson scored his first NHL goal against the Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Bernier on October 6, 2007. It was also the game winning goal.2 He finished his rookie season averaging over 18 minutes of ice-time per game to go with 5 goals and 28 assists in 69 games.
Johnson suffered a major set-back in the off-season, tearing his ACL and MCL, when his right foot was caught between the accelerator and brake pedal of his golf cart during a team golf outing on September 16, 2008.3 He underwent knee surgery to repair the damaged ligament on November 20 and missed the entirety of the 2008–09 season.4
He has modeled his game after his favorite player Al MacInnis,citation needed who also played for the Blues, from 1994 to 2003.
Awards
- 2005: Gold medal (2005 IIHF World U18 Championships)
- 2006: Gold medal (2006 IIHF World U18 Championships)
- 2006: Bob Johnson Award (Best American Player in International Competition)
- 2007: IIHF World U20 Championship Best Defenseman Directorate Award
- 2007: IIHF World U20 Championship All Star Team
- 2007: Bronze Medal (2007 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships)
- 2007: WCHA All-Rookie Team
- 2007/2008:Played in the NHL Youngstars Game
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2004–05 | USNTDP | NAHL | 54 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | USNDTP | NAHL | 47 | 16 | 33 | 49 | 89 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Minnesota Gophers | NCAA | 41 | 4 | 20 | 24 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 69 | 5 | 28 | 33 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Peoria Rivermen | AHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 69 | 5 | 28 | 33 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
International play
Played for the United States in:
- 2005 World Junior Ice Hockey U18 Championships
- 2006 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
- 2006 World Junior Ice Hockey U18 Championships
- 2007 IIHF World Championship
International statistics
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | United States | WJC18 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | United States | WJC | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 18 |
| 2006 | United States | WJC18 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 27 |
| 2007 | United States | WJC | 7 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 18 |
| 2007 | United States | WC | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| WJC U-18 totals | 12 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 27 | ||
| WJC totals | 14 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 36 | ||
References
- ^ St. Louis Blues (2007). "Blues Sign First Overall Draft Pick Erik Johnson". StLouisBlues.com. http://blues.nhl.com/team/app?articleid=301967&page=NewsPage&service=page. Retrieved 2008-02-12.
- ^ St Louis Blues - Recap: St Louis @ Los Angeles - 10/06/2007
- ^ "Erik Johnson Out Indefinitely". St. Louis Blues. 2008-09-23. http://blues.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=383112.
- ^ "Blues' defenseman Johnson has knee surgery". National Hockey League. 2008-11-20. http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=393467. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
External links
- Erik Johnson's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
- United States 2006 WJC Media Guide
- Erik Johnson's Draft Blog
| Preceded by Sidney Crosby |
First overall pick in NHL Entry Draft 2006 |
Succeeded by Patrick Kane |
| Preceded by T. J. Oshie |
St. Louis Blues first round draft pick 2006 |
Succeeded by Patrik Berglund |