Usually hockey players must hit the ice to make history. Not so for Johnson.
When the St. Louis Blues selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2006 NHL Draft, the Bloomington, Minn., native became the first American-born defenseman chosen first directly from USA Hockey's National Team Development Program. He was also the second United States-born defenseman to be the top pick, following Bryan Berard in 1995.
Usually hockey players must hit the ice to make history. Not so for Johnson.
When the St. Louis Blues selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2006 NHL Draft, the Bloomington, Minn., native became the first American-born defenseman chosen first directly from USA Hockey's National Team Development Program. He was also the second United States-born defenseman to be the top pick, following Bryan Berard in 1995.
A mobile skater with a big shot and a 6-foot-4, 230-pound frame, Johnson made his mark as soon as he joined the Blues following one season with the University of Minnesota.
The 19-year-old rookie assisted on a Keith Tkachuk goal for his first NHL point in the 2007-08 season opener. In his second game, Johnson scored on the power play for his first NHL goal as the Blues beat the Los Angeles Kings 5-3.
Johnson led all Blues defensemen in scoring with 33 points that season and finished 12th in voting for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the NHL's top rookie.
A golf cart accident sidelined Johnson for all of 2008-09 with torn knee ligaments, but he returned to form in 2009-10, leading St. Louis defensemen in goals (10), assists (29), points (39), shots (186) and power-play goals (6).
The Colorado Avalanche acquired Johnson as part of a four-player trade on Feb. 19, 2011. He scored his first goal with the Avalanche against the Blues in his second game with his new team, helping Colorado to a 4-3 win that snapped a 10-game losing streak. Johnson finished the season averaging 24:33 of ice time per game while scoring three goals and 10 points.
Johnson made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut April 17, 2014 in Colorado's first-round series with the Minnesota Wild. He led the Avalanche with 30:22 of ice time and assisted on the game-tying goal in what would be a 5-4 overtime win in Game 1, and added his first playoff goal as the Avalanche lost Game 7.
Johnson earned his first All-Star Game selection in 2014-15, though he did not play because of a knee injury that sidelined him for the final 34 games of the season. Before the 2015-16 season, Colorado signed Johnson to a seven-year contract extension through the 2022-23 season.
