Johnson perseveres to find success

BY PERRY BERGSON
BRANDON SUN

 

In 1993, National Basketball Association superstar Charles Barkley famously declared in a television commercial that he was not a role model.

Thirty-three years later, graduating Brandon Wheat Kings forward Nick Johnson sees it differently. Not only is he happy to be a good example, the Calgary product learned a lot about himself as he came of age in the Western Hockey League.

“I think the WHL has made me grow a lot as a person,” Johnson said. “With the little things too, I think we’re held to a higher standard, as we should be. We’re in a major junior hockey league and we should be leading by example to young kids. It’s a big deal, because how little kids see you is how they’re going to want to be when they grow up.

“I think that’s very important and a very special thing that happens nowadays and I’m very grateful to have a part of the whole league.”

PORTLAND

Johnson’s WHL dream actually began back in 2020, but he certainly had to wait on draft day.

Portland absolutely stole Johnson in the WHL draft that year when they grabbed him in the 10th round with the 220th overall pick. At the time, he was a five-foot-eight, 144-pound forward who had nine goals and 19 assists in 30 games with the Edge School’s under-15 prep team.

“That was a long time but it’s a pretty special moment,” Johnson said. “It doesn’t matter where you went to, you obviously grew up watching the WHL being in Western Canada. For me and my family, I didn’t know too much about Portland but I knew it was obviously a good organization that produced a lot of good players so I was pretty excited to go there.

“You only get drafted once, and for it to happen at a young age, it’s cool to see your name pop up.”

He played one game as a callup when he was 16, and as he grew into his current six-foot-three, 207-pound frame, he earned a spot with the Winterhawks in 2022-23 in his 17-year-old year, with three goals, five assists and 35 penalty minutes in 63 games.

He said the older Winterhawks, including Gabe Klassen and Robbie Fromm-Delorme, were instrumental in making him feel comfortable. He is especially thankful for the latter, who he said was nice to him from day one.

He also credited teammate Diego Buttazzoni, who he lived with in Portland, and defenceman Rhett Ravndahl, who also ended up in Brandon.

“We went through a lot of ups and downs together,” Johnson said. “… Having those guys with me each day to get through it was a game changer for me.”

In the 2023-24 season, he had five goals and 13 assists in 29 games before sustaining a lower-body injury on Dec. 10, 2023 when he was hit from behind into the boards during a game against the Everett Silvertips.

NEW HOME

On Jan. 10, 2024, the Wheat Kings acquired Johnson and Ravndahl, plus first-round picks in 2025 and 2027 and a fifth-round pick in 2026 from the Portland Winterhawks in exchange for captain Nate Danielson.

“Looking back at it now, I think it was one of the best things for me,” Johnson said of the trade. “Just for me personally, whether it was role or environment, I think it was a great deal for me. I was really happy to end up here.”

Johnson was still injured when he was traded, and made his Brandon debut against Lethbridge on Jan. 20, 2024, which just happened to be his 19th birthday.

He played eight games, and then suffered a different lower-body injury on Feb. 4, missing a month. But he showed some real promise, with eight points in 16 games with the Wheat Kings despite the setbacks.

In 52 games last season, he had career highs across the board, with 16 goals, 27 assists and 43 points despite breaking his leg on an ugly play in Regina after he posted a hat trick in the team’s second game of the season.

After missing 43 games in 2023-24 and 16 games in 2024-25, he joined Gio Pantelas, Jimmy Egan and Jordan Gavin in an exclusive club in the 2025-26 regular season as the four Wheat Kings who suited up for all 68 games, plus four in the playoffs as they were swept by the Calgary Hitmen in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

“It was nice,” Johnson said with a chuckle. “It’s a grind but … I was fortunate to play all 68 and be healthy. It was something I’m able to do, so going down the road, I can think back to this year and how I handled my body and how I handled going into each game and it will help me carry on throughout my career.”

That certainly didn’t mean he avoided the hard work.

A defining part of Johnson’s game involves that big frame, which allows him to physically overmatch opponents at times. He also happy to do the heavy lifting along the boards.

In addition, he proved to be a terrific shot blocker as he became an integral part of the penalty kill. It was a job he took a lot of pride in.

“It was sweet,” Johnson said. “I like getting down and blocking a shot and firing the team up. On that side of things, I was very proud and very fortunate that (head coach and general manager) Marty (Murray) put me in that position. I thought I did a pretty good job overall.”

Johnson, who turned 21 in January, admitted it’s not always easy to stand in front of a shot that sends six ounces of angry vulcanized rubber hurtling towards him, but added he wasn’t alone in that job.

“You look at our season and the record we had as a team, I don’t think it was just one person doing it, I thought it was a team buy-in,” Johnson said. “Forty wins is a big accomplishment to have as a team. I can go back and say my last WHL team I had we had 40 wins and a good season. That’s what it takes to have a good team.”

It doesn’t hurt that he set career marks in games (68), goals (22), assists (31), points (52), plus-minus (a team-high 34) and penalty minutes (40) while shifting back into the centre from the wing.

It was all part of his evolution over four seasons in the WHL.

“I see my growth in almost every aspect of my game,” Johnson said. “Obviously being a young kid, I was more nervous to be around the older guys and maybe played that way a little bit too, honestly. Going through each year and seeing what guys go through, everyone is kind of the same. We all go through the same stuff.”

NEXT STEP

Johnson was one of the happy recipients of the new opportunity to play college hockey after the NCAA changed its rules restricting major junior players in November 2024, something he couldn’t have imagined when he entered the league.

“I’m pretty fortunate that way, with how everything opened up,” Johnson said. “It gives me more time to develop my game and develop more areas I need to and at the same time, get a great education out of it too. It’s obviously kind of mind blowing. Any kid entering the league should be very excited knowing there are more options out there for you.”

As it turned out, his options lay in northern Michigan.

Ferris State University is located in Big Rapids, which is 340 kilometres northwest of Detroit, and it didn’t take long for Johnson to make up his mind about the school.

The Bulldogs hired new head coach Brett Riley in March 2025 after their former coach retired, and he brought associate coach Zack Cisek and assistants Justin DeMartino and Gehrig Sarosy on board. They collectively made a strong impression on Johnson.

“We got talking with one another and I thought there was kind of a connection, a spark right away, from day one,” Johnson said. “It’s a brand new coaching staff there and they’ve put in a lot of time and effort with me, especially this year. They’ve given me some video or are checking in on me a lot. I think it will be a great spot for me next year. I’m very excited.”

He knows two players who have also committed to the program, Tri-City Americans forward Gavin Garland, who is also from Calgary, and his former Winterhawks teammate Hudson Darby, who spent last season with his hometown Swift Current Broncos.

Ferris State plays in the NCAA Division I’s Central Collegiate Hockey Association. Last year the Bulldogs finished eighth in the nine-team conference with a record of 6-18-2 in conference and 8-27-2 overall.

The program has appeared in the NCAA tournament four times, and the Frozen Four once, back in 2012. They have won three conference championships, in 2003, 2012 and 2014.

THANK YOUS

Even with his new plan in place, Johnson admitted he was a little surprised how quickly his WHL adventure passed him by, despite the fact veterans warned him it would happen when he was a rookie.

“When I was told that, I was like ‘There’s no way, this is probably going to be the longest four or five years of my life and blah, blah, blah,’” Johnson said. “Now that it’s all come to an end, it’s certainly been the blink of an eye and I’m done. It’s been very short and very quick. You just take it for granted.”

To be fair, he did time to enjoy the big moments as he visited rinks for the final time.

He lived in two different houses during his season and a half in Portland, and was able to visit with both families during his last trip through the U.S. Division in January, something he describes as a cool moment.

There were a lot of those moments during his farewell tour.

“Walking into an away arena, it was ‘Woah, this is the last time I’m ever going to play a game in this building,’” Johnson said. “It’s little moments like that you think to yourself ‘I’ve been through a lot.’ It’s a sweet moment for sure but sad at the same time. It’s been fun.”

He lived with the Boguski family — Ryan, Pamela and their children Beckett, Nixon and Marx — along Ravndahl until the defenceman was sent to the Kamloops Blazers in January. After his buddy was traded, Johnson stayed there alone.

“I don’t know if I would be able to live away from home for so long if it wasn’t for them,” Johnson said. “They brought me in and treated me like their own kid. I’m so thankful to be a part of their lives and I’ll always be a text or phone call away from them and I’ll see them in the future.

“They were so good to me. I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

He has the same reaction when asked about Murray and assistant coaches Mark (Billy) Derlago and Del Pedrick, noting the general manager had faith in him, which just happened to be during his 18-year-old season when he was hurt.

That trust proved to be well placed as Johnson’s role expanded.

“We had a good season this year and he let me be one of the key guys on the penalty kill and in big-game moments,” Johnson said. “Honestly on top of that, all the coaches, Billy and Del, they taught me a lot, whether it was on video or on-ice stuff.

“I think they made a really big impact on who I am as a player. (Athletic therapist) Zach (Hartwick) got me through all my injuries and sorted me out with that. “Each and everyone in the organization, up and down, teammates and coaches and staff, it’s just a great spot to be.

“I don’t think there is a whole lot I would change about any other the time I’ve been here. I’m very thankful.”

He noted one of the big differences between Portland and Brandon was the size of the respective cities, and how easy it was for the players to get together here. It’s the difference between the players being billeted a few minutes apart and an hour away from each other.

And it’s that time away from the rink that may prove to be what sticks with him.

“I think the memories aren’t going to be a whole lot to do with on the ice,” Johnson said. “I think it’s going to be in the locker room after or at a guy’s house creating those type of memories. It’s a bigger thing as a whole. When I look back on my five years, I’ll remember all those little things a lot more.

“I’m very grateful for them.”