The Kent Johnson thread

[Youngguns80]

This is the write up on Kent Johnson after drafted

Kent Johnson entered the season in the discussion for the first overall pick after a historic 2019-20 season in the British Columbia Hockey League. He produced 41 goals and 60 assists in 52 games, giving him the highest points-per-game average (minimum 20 games) the BCHL has seen since Scott Gomez in 1996-97.
Johnson's offensive gifts were on display at Michigan in 2020-21, as he tallied nine goals and 18 assists in 26 games for the Wolverines. He is the most creative player in the draft. Like a magician, he uses sleight of hand to trick defenders, pretending he's about to move the puck one way before wrong-footing them and making a play in another direction.
He has a lot of skilled stick-handling maneuvers up his sleeve: between-the-legs dekes, banks of his own skates, toe drags and so on. If players were evaluated solely by highlight reels, it's hard to imagine anyone in the 2021 draft class outranking Johnson. In some ways, going pro will be more beneficial to him. At Michigan, there were times when he would make a great play, only for his linemates to fail to recognize what was unfolding and either get in his way or let him down by failing to be on the receiving end of plays.
Johnson's skill emerged as a double-edged sword in the NCAA, however. It almost seemed like he sometimes went out of his way to seek out the most convoluted path toward creating a scoring chance when there were far easier, more direct options available. He holds the puck for too long and practically carries it into danger. This could become an issue against pro players who won't take his bait as often and will close down his space more quickly.
Beyond that, there are concerns about the rest of his game. His skating ability is mediocre. He's not a particularly good forechecker or defensive player. It's arguable that he will remain a center in pro hockey. And while he's a tremendous offensive zone threat, he's not as efficient at moving the puck up the ice as one might anticipate given his skill.
Johnson is incredibly skilled, and if he sticks in the NHL, he'll be a point-producer who thrives on the power play—maybe even an All-Star. But he's going to have to get the rest of his game to baseline NHL level in order to make it work. The Blue Jackets are swinging for the fences with this pick, but they have a lot of draft capital and can afford the risk.

Grade: B

Click to read more...

 

[majormajor]

This is the write up on Kent Johnson after drafted

Kent Johnson entered the season in the discussion for the first overall pick after a historic 2019-20 season in the British Columbia Hockey League. He produced 41 goals and 60 assists in 52 games, giving him the highest points-per-game average (minimum 20 games) the BCHL has seen since Scott Gomez in 1996-97.
Johnson's offensive gifts were on display at Michigan in 2020-21, as he tallied nine goals and 18 assists in 26 games for the Wolverines. He is the most creative player in the draft. Like a magician, he uses sleight of hand to trick defenders, pretending he's about to move the puck one way before wrong-footing them and making a play in another direction.
He has a lot of skilled stick-handling maneuvers up his sleeve: between-the-legs dekes, banks of his own skates, toe drags and so on. If players were evaluated solely by highlight reels, it's hard to imagine anyone in the 2021 draft class outranking Johnson. In some ways, going pro will be more beneficial to him. At Michigan, there were times when he would make a great play, only for his linemates to fail to recognize what was unfolding and either get in his way or let him down by failing to be on the receiving end of plays.
Johnson's skill emerged as a double-edged sword in the NCAA, however. It almost seemed like he sometimes went out of his way to seek out the most convoluted path toward creating a scoring chance when there were far easier, more direct options available. He holds the puck for too long and practically carries it into danger. This could become an issue against pro players who won't take his bait as often and will close down his space more quickly.
Beyond that, there are concerns about the rest of his game. His skating ability is mediocre. He's not a particularly good forechecker or defensive player. It's arguable that he will remain a center in pro hockey. And while he's a tremendous offensive zone threat, he's not as efficient at moving the puck up the ice as one might anticipate given his skill.
Johnson is incredibly skilled, and if he sticks in the NHL, he'll be a point-producer who thrives on the power play—maybe even an All-Star. But he's going to have to get the rest of his game to baseline NHL level in order to make it work. The Blue Jackets are swinging for the fences with this pick, but they have a lot of draft capital and can afford the risk.

Grade: B

Who's write up?

 

[majormajor]

What exactly is a reach?

Johnson is credibly a top pick in this draft. He wouldn't have been my choice based on my first-hand viewings but he's a plausible credible top pick and I trust our scouts to figure it out.

 

[stevo61]

Hes not a reach. The top end of the draft was mostly considered a cluster of guys up to pick 9.

 

[Youngguns80]

Who's write up?

Adam Herman - Bleacher Report?


NHL DRAFT
2021 NHL Draft: Live Round 1 Grades and Analysis for Every Pick

ADAM HERMAN

 

[KJ Dangler]

What exactly is a reach?

Johnson is credibly a top pick in this draft. He wouldn't have been my choice based on my first-hand viewings but he's a plausible credible top pick and I trust our scouts to figure it out.

Elias Petterson comp. Sign me up. Michigan coach said he was most talented of all players on team . Big frame , fast skater , thinks and anticipates the game , and has a wicked shot , can carry the puck . Has the highest ceiling of any player in this draft . And then we have Sillinger as well . I feel like we have finally joined the NHL after all these years

 

[Appleyard]

Scouting Report: Kent Johnson - Smaht Scouting

In depth report on Johnson from Bailey Johnson at Smaht Scouting.

 

[EDM]

Depends upon how you define the term. He certainly was not BPA, Eklund or Guenther are better prospects. BUT, if we are looking for centers, as it seems we most definitely were. Then he was probably the best center on the board at No. 5. Probably the second best center left on the board was Sillinger and we took him too. So in terms of BPA, KJ is a reach. But in terms of available centers, he was the best choice with Sillinger being the second best choice.

 

[KJ Dangler]

Depends upon how you define the term. He certainly was not BPA, Eklund or Guenther are better prospects. BUT, if we are looking for centers, as it seems we most definitely were. Then he was probably the best center on the board at No. 5. Probably the second best center left on the board was Sillinger and we took him too. So in terms of BPA, KJ is a reach. But in terms of available centers, he was the best choice with Sillinger being the second best choice.

According to who exactly ? Mock drafts , scouting services ? He’s en elite talent for sure … not sure you can really say that about anyone else in this draft . According to Johnson’s interview , he expected to go earlier than projected .

 

[pled]

he is second best mctavish I'd have a hard time between him and eklund.

he has a really high ceiling

 

[KJ Dangler]

he is second best mctavish I'd have a hard time between him and eklund.

he has a really high ceiling

Second best Mctavish ? He has a much higher ceiling than Mctavish , that’s for sure . If he develops properly , your looking at an elite #1 center .. worst case a top 6 winger ..

 

[Youngguns80]

Another scouting report this one from Hockey’s Black Book they rate on a 3-9 scale

They rated him A and 9th overall

Hockey Sense - 7
Compete - 7
Skill - 8
Skating - 6
Misc - 6

There’s always a learning curve when a prospect makes the jump from the BCHL, to college hockey, especially if the prospect was as physically underdeveloped as Johnson appeared to be when initially making his decision to go the college route. However, after a growth spurt, paired with extended time to develop his strength, he began acclimating himself over the course of the season.
Johnson is a dynamic, playmaking center, who relies on his impressive level of deception and creativity to remain unpredictable. His unpredictable play style begins with his none linear skating patterns, preferring instead lateral and circular cutting plays that are multi directional and allow him to attack east west at a higher frequency then a lot of other forward prospects. It also allows him to use advanced stutter steps, reverse half spinning pivot plays, and lateral crossovers, before shifting his weight off his center point, so that he can rapidly change his skating lanes. He might not be the most powerful or mechanically efficient skater, but how he uses his skating, allows him to compensate to a degree.
All these different skating play types afford him additional space, and additional time in order to set up his passing options. If the skating base doesn’t afford him additional space, his mind can. Slowing down the pace of play, followed by offsetting his speed, in an effort to find a viable teammate to generate plays off of the cycle, or give and go sequences. Although he was physically underdeveloped relative to most college players, he was also willing to pay a price in the heavy trafficked areas, if he knew it would help set up his teammates by drawing the opposing defenders into him.
His vision, compliments his creativity, giving him the capacity to generate unique passes. As an example, instead of batting the puck down and gaining control off of a midair pass, he kept the puck alive and attempted to lacrosse it to his teammates, in one seamless motion, in order to generate a transitional rush. There’s a lot of confidence displayed within his skillset, he knows he’s more talented than most other players, and as a result, tries to some high difficulty, technical passes, which he’s found success with. He’s a prospect who can burn an opposing defense with no look reverse spinning hook passes, or with hesitation lateral pulling passes across the crease area. His playmaking has a good sense of range too. He can fire stretch passes, while also being able to identify backdoor, weakside options. His game is predicated on using his manipulative play style, to reconfigure the ice surface, so that he can find his teammates with his playmaking skillset.
When he’s properly read, despite deploying his deception, he still has multiple fallback options. The primary attributes that he uses are an automatic puck guarding or puck protection skillset, that sees him use his active arm to counteract sticks, while simultaneously drawing the puck to the opposite side that his opponents are on. The other is by using his hands to evade incoming pressure.
Johnson doesn’t carry his hands high on his stick, and this allows him another level of control needed to make some of the more dramatic and versatile dekes we’ve seen this season. When he isn’t using his hands in tight to his body, he’s using extension moves to bait opposing defenseman into reaching, so that he can make pulling passes in between their stick and frame. His hands, puck protection, and deceptive versatility, make it difficult for opposing players to shut Kent down.
One area of concern regarding his dynamism and creativity though, is that he over extends it occasionally, so that it takes away the effectiveness. His unique plays, give him so many options, yet the process of which option to choose is still a work in progress occasionally for Kent.
There’s mental attributes that come into play that help him maintain possession as well. Mainly, his processing ability in tight spaces, helps give him the poise necessary to remain calm under heavy pressure, while still assessing his options. We’ve seen multiple opposing players collapse on Johnson, double teaming him, only to be burned by their aggression.
When moving from his offensive to defensive evaluation, we would label him as raw, yet willing. We’ve seen him make impressive backchecking recovery plays where he’s willing to dive head first into a passing lane in over to disrupt a play, and he’s shown enough consistent effort, to have us believe that he can further develop, since he seems keen to putting in the work, at least out on the ice. Does he have defensive breakdowns, and lapses where he fails to switch with his teammates in the given context of the play? Absolutely, but it’s not unexpected.
Perhaps the most impressive area of growth, that really has us believing in Kent’s upside is regarding his skating development. He’s not ever going to be a burner, but he’s developed into a very slippery and elusive player that can dictate through the neutral zone. We thought through the first quarter of the season that he was destined for the wing, but after monitoring his development curve, we think there’s still a real possibility that he can remain at center.
In order for him to become a dominant center, he’s going to have to further reduce his rate of risk in all three zones, learn how to become more responsible defensively, and gain the balance through an increase in strength necessary to be harder to knock off the puck, when defenses manage to recognize what he’s attempting to do in advance. If those areas are improved, then there’s very little stopping him from becoming a 2nd line, play driving center, who can use his imagination to generate some jaw dropping plays.

“I thought he got a lot better as the season progressed. He finished really strong.” -NHL Scout, May 2021
“He’s light but he’s smart and skilled. He might end up being the best player in this draft. I have him top three.” - NHL Scout, May 2021
“I wish he was a better skater. He’s not slow or anything but I wish it was higher end...saying that, he’s weak right now so it will get better with increased strength.” - NHL Scout, May 2021
“ I like Kent, I think had him 9th on my list. Great skill and I thought the compete aspect of his game really improved by the end of the year...that was my biggest gripe with him early on.” - NHL Scout, June 2021
“Skating is just ok, but his hockey sense will take care of that problem. He’s weak too, so it will get better.” - NHL Scout, June 2021
“He joins Sillinger, Lucius, McTavish, Clarke, Othmann and plenty of others in the average skaters club.” - NHL Scout, June 2021
“He has some versatility to his game and he’s competitive, but for me it’s all about his head for the game and his skill. He’s in my top 3.” - NHL Scout, June 2021
“I won’t be surprised if he’s considered a better player in a couple of years than Beniers, he just needs more time” – HP Scout, Brad Allen, June 2021
“I watched this kid play a few years ago for Burnaby Winter Club and remembered him as a smaller, slick playmaker. Then he shot up over 6 feet the next time I saw him and I couldn’t believe it was the same player.” – HP Scout Dusten Braaksma

 

[koteka]

Can I vote both? I think he was a slight reach, but I like what the CBJ did with the other two picks, so reaching slightly for a guy with such high upside makes it a good pick.

 

[Crede777]

Good pick. He's a guy that they did all of the scouting on so they must be comfortable with his game.

 

[OldGoaltender]

He was the most talented playmaker in this draft. He’s been called a bigger Marner that can play center. I’ll call this a win.

 

[LJ7]

I'd be alot more upset we chose Johnson over Eklund if we didn't have that pick that got Sillinger.

 

[Xoggz22]

Hard to argue taking the most skilled player in the draft. He needs strength and some improvement (explosiveness) in his skating. He has size and skill and appears willing to work. He's also expected to be a center. He wasn't on my radar for CBJ but he certainly could be argued that he even went too low based on ceiling.

 

[EspenK]

Second best Mctavish ? He has a much higher ceiling than Mctavish , that’s for sure . If he develops properly , your looking at an elite #1 center .. worst case a top 6 winger ..

and a lower floor imo. I would have taken McT over him.

 

[majormajor]

Hard to argue taking the most skilled player in the draft. He needs strength and some improvement (explosiveness) in his skating. He has size and skill and appears willing to work. He's also expected to be a center. He wasn't on my radar for CBJ but he certainly could be argued that he even went too low based on ceiling.

I agree that you can't argue with his skill, and there's nothing wrong with taking the most skilled guy at #5. But he doesn't currently have the attributes to play center and rarely played center this year. When Beniers was hurt KJ slid over to a center for a bit and the reviews were negative. He needs a lot of time in his development regardless, so perhaps he'll get there later, but don't expect him to be a center.

To my mind we drafted a player that could develop into a Marner/Gaudreau type playmaker. And if that happens I don't care what position he lines up at, and I suspect that our scouts felt the same way.

Depends upon how you define the term. He certainly was not BPA, Eklund or Guenther are better prospects. BUT, if we are looking for centers, as it seems we most definitely were. Then he was probably the best center on the board at No. 5. Probably the second best center left on the board was Sillinger and we took him too. So in terms of BPA, KJ is a reach. But in terms of available centers, he was the best choice with Sillinger being the second best choice.

I don't agree. Eklund and Guenther don't have super high upside like KJ and I imagine that's why our scouts preferred KJ. He wasn't even a center this year so I can't imagine he was drafted higher to be a center.

 

[OldGoaltender]

What amazes me is the kid was 4’11” at 16 or so and grew that much. That can affect your skating, in fact your whole game but it didn’t bother his shooting or stickhandling. I have to figure his skating should also catch up.

 

[koteka]

I think a Sillinger - Johnson - whomever line might be good in a couple of years if they both progress as expected. Sillinger can go to the greasy areas and shoot while Johnson can enter the zone and make plays. Maybe a bigger fast defensive guy like Robinson on a line with those two.

 

[Hello Johnny]

What amazes me is the kid was 4’11” at 16 or so and grew that much. That can affect your skating, in fact your whole game but it didn’t bother his shooting or stickhandling. I have to figure his skating should also catch up.

Was it that recently? I thought I heard the panel last night saying it was 5 years ago that he was sub-5 ft.

 

[stevo61]

What amazes me is the kid was 4’11” at 16 or so and grew that much. That can affect your skating, in fact your whole game but it didn’t bother his shooting or stickhandling. I have to figure his skating should also catch up.

His size too will catch up. The growth spurt would be a big part of why hes so lanky. Pair that with the fact he made the jump from the BCHL to Michigan and there is a lot to be excited about. Lots of room for growth in both area's

 

[OldGoaltender]

Was it that recently? I thought I heard the panel last night saying it was 5 years ago that he was sub-5 ft.

You are right. See what happens when you get old. Or maybe my wife’s right and I really don’t listen.

 

[Hello Johnny]

You are right. See what happens when you get old. Or maybe my wife’s right and I really don’t listen.

Honestly I wouldn't trust my memory either