CHL Leaders: Johnson Andrews thrilled with new career as credit analyst
Johnson Andrews learned both on and off the ice during his time in Niagara.
A native of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., Andrews suited up for the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs, based in nearby St. Catharines, for part of five seasons before electing to pursue his education at local Brock University.
At Brock, Andrews majored in accounting and finance, then added his master’s in business administration, an academic background that helped him secure his current position as a credit analyst with the Vine Group, a mortgage services provider.
“It is really enjoyable due to the fact that it is still a high-pressure environment where we’re assisting people in the purchase of their first home or helping them to expand their existing real estate portfolio,” Andrews told Junior Hockey Magazine as part of its CHL Leaders segment. “I have really found something that I can enjoy and take pride in.”
Andrews attributes his success in his new role partly to his days in junior hockey, where a busy schedule managing school in addition to games, practice, and travel helped him to quickly learn a life of structure.
“The biggest thing I took from playing in the CHL was being able to balance your day. The schedule was very strict and very set aside for you,” Andrews detailed. “That’s something I have taken into the workforce in that you have to lay out your day and accomplish the tasks as they are coming in.”
After his first junior season, Andrews was eligible for the NHL draft, but after going unselected, the pragmatic forward noted how it became a turning point in planning his life after hockey.
“I had a few injuries and it wasn’t the best season in terms of me lighting up the scoresheet, so immediately following that I started taking courses at Brock University,” Andrews said. “I tried to lay out a path for something I could do beyond hockey while leveraging some of the relationships and the lessons I learned from the game.
“In my second year in junior, I started taking courses and that allowed me to complete my undergraduate degree in a timely manner upon finishing in the OHL. Then I was able to use my scholarship fund when I was completing my master’s degree. That was absolutely gigantic because it allowed me to focus on my studies rather than having to stress about the financial burden that comes with post-secondary education.”
Listen to Johnson Andrews’ full interview with Junior Hockey Magazine here.