When the Dallas Stars called Johns up to the NHL for the first time in March of 2016, they added more than just a big, physical presence to their defense corps. They added a one-man cleanup crew.

As he displayed during his NHL debut on March 11, 2016 against the Chicago Blackhawks, the team that traded him to Dallas on July 10, 2015, Johns can be an intimidating presence on the ice.

Johns recorded three hits and three blocked shots and finished with an even plus-minus rating in a 5-2 Dallas victory.

Johns also chipped in on the offensive side during the 2015-16 season, scoring a goal and two assists in 14 games, and in the Stanley Cup Playoffs he had an even rating in 13 games.

Johns scored his first NHL goal on March 17, 2016 in a 4-3 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the next day he signed a two-year contract extension.

Though skilled enough to contribute on the power play, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Johns has been a reliable player on the back end, someone who will make wise decisions and be good with the puck.

A sound positional defenseman, Johns came to the NHL as a second-round pick of the Blackhawks (No. 60) in the 2010 NHL Draft after playing two seasons in the United States National Team Development Program.

He played four seasons at Notre Dame, scoring 15 goals and 57 points in 164 games, and led the team to the 2013 Central Collegiate Hockey Association Tournament title.

A native of Ellwood City, Pa., Johns earned second-team Hockey East All-Star honors as well as a spot on the Hockey East All-Tournament team as a senior at Notre Dame in 2013-14.

Johns won a gold medal with the United States at the 2010 IIHF Under-18 World Championship and was a member of the 2012 World Junior Championship team that finished seventh.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• Hockey East Second All-Star Team (2014)
• Traded to Dallas by Chicago with Patrick Sharp for Trevor Daley and Ryan Garbutt, July 12, 2015.