Johnson's goal 3:20 into the 3-on-3 extra time gave Canada the walkoff win over Finland in the rescheduled tourrnament that still allowed the best players in the world under 20 years old to shine.
Tweet from @johngaudreau03: Kent Johnson!!! Well done!!! Congrats!!!@BlueJacketsNHL
The No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 draft was near the top of the list. Johnson finished with a 3-6-9 line in seven games and was one of the event's top offensive players.
Not only did he deliver the gold medal to his home country in a moment that he'll surely remember for the rest of his life, his lacrosse-style Michigan goal in the preliminary round was one of the most skilled tallies in tournament history. Add in five points in three medal round games -- including three in a semifinal win over Czechia in which he was named Canada's top player -- and Johnson came up big when it mattered most.
On the tournament winning goal, he was wide open after taking a spinning feed from Logan Stankoven, then tried to round Finnish goalie Juka Jatkola. The netminder made the first save, but Johnson quickly stuffed the rebound home, then was mobbed by teammates in celebration.
"Stanks made a nice play and got it to my backhand,"
Johnson said after Canada won its 19th World Juniors gold
. "I tried to go five-hole, and that didn't work, but I got the rebound. It was super exciting. I actually thought I would score. I love three-on-three. This gold means the world to us."
Johnson shined at the University of Michigan last year, topping a point per game, before making his NHL debut with Columbus at the end of the season, posting three assists in nine games. He also has become a regular with Canada's international teams, as in the past six months alone he played at the 2022 Winter Olympics, the IIHF World Championships and now the World Juniors.
And now, he'll have a gold medal to pack when he arrives for CBJ training camp next month.
In the bronze medal match, Czechia dropped a 3-1 final to Sweden, as a team that featured CBJ draft picks David Jiricek (first round, 2022), Stanislav Svozil (third round, 2021) and Martin Rysavy (seventh round, 2021) finished just short of its first medal since 2005. Svozil finished with a 1-3-4 line in six games, fellow alternate captain Jiricek had three assists in seven contests, and Rysavy posted two goals in seven games.
