Tyler Johnson (ice hockey)

Tyler Johnson (born July 29, 1990) is an American professional ice hockey player for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Johnson won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021.

Tyler Johnson
Johnson with the Tampa Bay Lightning in October 2013
Born (1990-07-29) July 29, 1990 (age 34)
Liberty Lake, Washington, U.S.
Height 5 ft 8[1][2] in (173 cm)
Weight 185[1][2] lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Center
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams
Boston Bruins
Tampa Bay Lightning
Chicago Blackhawks
National team  United States
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2011–present

Playing career

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Johnson in February 2011. He played with the WHL's Spokane Chiefs for his major-junior ice hockey career.

Junior

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Johnson was selected by the Spokane Chiefs with their 11th-round pick in the 2005 WHL Bantam Draft.[3] In his first season with this team, in 2007–08, he appeared in 69 regular season games, scoring 13 goals and 29 assists. The Chiefs won the Ed Chynoweth Cup that season as the league's champions. The Chiefs subsequently earned a berth in the 2008 Memorial Cup, where they defeated the Kitchener Rangers by a score of 4–1. Johnson played in all 21 playoff games, scoring five goals and adding three assists. He was named the WHL playoffs' Most Valuable Player[4] as a 17-year-old rookie.

In the 2008–09 season, he played in 62 games, scoring 26 goals and 35 assists for 61 points and adding another five goals and three assists in 12 playoff games. The 2009–10 season saw Johnson's numbers improve, as he tallied 36 goals and 35 assists in 64 games. He also added three goals and five assists in seven playoff games.

Johnson's 2010–11 season proved to be his best yet as he became the 15th Chiefs' member of all-time to hit the century mark (100 points), with 53 goals and 62 assists, making him the leading goal scorer and second-leading points scorer in the WHL. He ultimately finished the season with career highs in goals (53), assists (62) and points (115), while also leading the team in power play and shorthanded goals and ranking third with a plus-27 ranking.[5] He was named Player of the Month for the WHL for December 2010. He was also voted as the Best Overage Player, Top Defensive Forward, Best Skater, and Top Faceoff Man, second in Most Valuable to Team, and third in Most Accurate Shot in the Best of the West 2011 poll.[6]

Tampa Bay Lightning

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Johnson signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning in March 2011.[7] Johnson's smaller size is known to be the reason he went undrafted.[8]

Johnson played the 2011–12 season with the Norfolk Admirals, the Lightning's top American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. In March, he went on a 13-game scoring streak, including back-to-back two goal games, the longest streak by an AHL rookie in more than six years. This streak helped him earn the Reebok/AHL Player of the Month award for March 2012.[9] Tyler Johnson was a key player in the Norfolk Admirals record winning streak of 28 games, which is a professional hockey league record.[10] He was also a key player in Norfolk's first ever Calder Cup that Season.[11]

 
Johnson with the Syracuse Crunch in January 2013

In the 2012–13 season, Johnson would play the majority his time with Lightning's new AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. He would go on to lead the AHL in goals scored and named the regular season MVP. At the end of the season he was awarded the President's Award for outstanding accomplishments on the ice. Johnson and the Syracuse Crunch went on to go to the finals and would eventually lose to the Grand Rapids Griffins[12] On March 14, 2013, he was called up by the Lightning and made his NHL debut against the New York Islanders. He would score his first NHL goal in his second game on March 16 against the Carolina Hurricanes.[13]

In his rookie NHL season with the Lightning in 2013–14, Johnson established himself on Tampa Bay's top offensive line and finished the season with 24 goals and 26 assists for 50 points in 82 games. He was selected as an NHL Calder Memorial Trophy nominee for the league's top rookie. The trophy, however, eventually went to Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche,[14] though Johnson was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team.[15]

The following season, 2014–15, Johnson followed up his breakout season in the NHL by scoring 29 goals and 43 assists for a total of 72 points in 77 games with the Lightning, finishing 15th overall in points in the League and playing on the second line with Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat which was called “The Triplets” line by Lightning head coach Jon Cooper and the media.[16] He also finished third in the NHL in plus-minus rating of +33 for the season, also being chosen for the 2014–15 NHL All-Star Game. On April 27, 2015, during the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs, Johnson became the first player in Lightning history to record three multi-goal games in a single playoff series. He also tied Ruslan Fedotenko for the Lightning single series goals record, with six. On May 20, 2015, Johnson tied Ruslan Fedotenko for most post-season goals in Lightning history.[17] On May 18, Johnson became the first Lightning player to score a hat-trick in the playoffs, as well as the first to score a short-handed and power play goal in a single playoff period. He also set the Lightning multi-goal game record for the playoffs with his fourth of the 2015 playoffs.[18] On June 6, Johnson scored his 13th goal of the playoffs, the highest output in a single playoff year by a Tampa Bay player.[19] Early in the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals, Johnson suffered a broken wrist, but he continued to play through the injury. However, this prevented him from taking faceoffs, and limited his production to just one goal.[20]

On November 15, 2016, Johnson recorded his 100th career NHL assist on a goal scored by Nikita Kucherov.[21] The assist came in a 4–3 Lightning win against the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena.[22] On February 19, 2017, Johnson recorded his 200th career NHL point against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center.[23] On February 23, 2017, Johnson played in his 300th career NHL game.[24]

On July 10, 2017, Johnson signed a seven-year, $35 million contract extension with the Lightning, worth $5 million annually.[25] On October 24, 2017, Johnson recorded his 93rd career goal in a Lightning uniform, which moved him past Ryan Malone for 10th most goals in franchise history. The goal came in a 5–1 Lightning win over the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena.[26] On December 29, 2017, Johnson recorded his 99th career NHL goal, which moved him past Chris Gratton for 9th most goals in Lightning history.[27] On December 31, 2017, Johnson recorded his 100th career NHL goal in a 5–0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.[28] On March 22, 2018, Johnson recorded his 260th career NHL point. The point moved Johnson past Chris Gratton for 10th most points in Lightning history.[29] On October 16, 2018, Johnson recorded his 4th career regular season hat trick to help the Lightning to a 4–2 win over the visiting Carolina Hurricanes. Johnson's second goal of the night moved him past Brian Bradley for 8th most goals in franchise history with 112.[30][31] On December 29, 2018, Johnson scored his 128th goal to move past Vaclav Prospal for 7th most goals in Lightning history.[32]

On December 28, 2019, Johnson skated in his 500th career NHL game against the Montreal Canadiens.[33] On January 29, 2020, Johnson recorded his 151st career NHL goal to move past Brad Richards for 5th all time in Lightning history.[34]

On September 28, 2020, Johnson became the first Spokane area native to win the Stanley Cup, as the Lightning defeated the Dallas Stars 4-2 in the Stanley Cup Finals.[35] Johnson and the Lightning would repeat as Stanley Cup Champions in 2021 after defeating the Montreal Canadiens in five games.

Chicago Blackhawks

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On July 27, 2021, Johnson was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks, along with a second-round pick in 2023, in exchange for the contract of Brent Seabrook.[36] Johnson missed much of 2021–22 campaign after sustaining a neck injury that required surgery and later suffering a concussion.[37] He appeared in only 26 games for the Blackhawks, tallying only three goals and four assists, while maintaining a 60.8 faceoff percentage.[37] Johnson became an unrestricted free agent following the season.

Boston Bruins

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On August 31, 2024, the Boston Bruins signed Johnson to a professional tryout agreement.[38] Just over two months later, on November 4, Johnson signed a one-year $775,000 contract with Boston.[39]

International play

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Johnson (center) with the United States national men's ice hockey team in 2014
Medal record
Representing   United States
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
  2010 Saskatchewan

Johnson has also excelled in international competition, helping the United States to the gold medal at the 2010 World Junior Championships in Canada, recording three goals and five points with a plus-4 rating in seven games. He was named player of the game in their first-round game against Canada.[40]

Personal life

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Tyler Johnson grew up in the Spokane suburb of Liberty Lake, Washington,[41] where he graduated from Central Valley High School with honors.[42] His parents, Ken and Debbie Johnson, met playing a rec-league hockey game at Spokane’s Eagle’s Ice-A-Rena. His mother Debbie was a skating coach who taught Tyler how to skate.[43] He married his fiancé in August 2024.

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Bold indicates led league

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2005–06 Coeur d'Alene Colts NPHL 11 4 3 7 2 2 1 1 2 4
2006–07 Coeur d'Alene Lakers NPHL 39 56 64 120 57 7 4 12 16 14
2007–08 Spokane Chiefs WHL 69 13 22 35 34 21 5 3 8 24
2008–09 Spokane Chiefs WHL 62 26 35 61 52 12 5 3 8 8
2009–10 Spokane Chiefs WHL 64 36 35 71 32 7 3 5 8 0
2010–11 Spokane Chiefs WHL 71 53 62 115 48 14 7 7 14 9
2011–12 Norfolk Admirals AHL 75 38 37 78 28 14 6 8 14 6
2012–13 Syracuse Crunch AHL 62 37 28 65 34 18 10 11 21 18
2012–13 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 14 3 3 6 4
2013–14 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 82 24 26 50 26 4 1 1 2 0
2014–15 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 77 29 43 72 24 26 13 10 23 24
2015–16 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 69 14 24 38 20 17 7 10 17 12
2016–17 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 66 19 26 45 28
2017–18 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 81 21 29 50 24 17 3 5 8 6
2018–19 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 80 29 18 47 28 4 0 1 1 0
2019–20 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 65 14 17 31 16 25 4 3 7 11
2020–21 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 55 8 14 22 16 23 4 3 7 0
2021–22 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 26 3 4 7 12
2022–23 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 56 12 20 32 16
2023–24 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 67 17 14 31 26
NHL totals 738 193 238 431 240 116 32 33 65 53

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2009 United States WJC 5th 6 1 0 1 2
2010 United States WJC   7 3 2 5 25
2014 United States WC 6th 8 6 3 9 2
Junior totals 13 4 2 6 27
Senior totals 8 6 3 9 2

Awards and honors

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Award Year Ref
WHL
Playoff MVP 2008
WHL champion 2008
Memorial Cup champion 2008
West First All-Star Team 2011
Most Goals (53) 2011
Brad Hornung Trophy 2011
West Player of the Year 2011 [44]
AHL
All-Rookie Team 2012
Calder Cup champion 2012
First All-Star Team 2013
All-Star Game 2013
Willie Marshall Award 2013
Les Cunningham Award 2013
President's Award 2013 [12]
NHL
NHL All-Rookie Team 2014 [45]
NHL All-Star Game 2015 [46]
Stanley Cup champion 2020, 2021 [47]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Tyler Johnson Stats and News". NHL.com. July 29, 1990. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Tyler Johnson (b. 1990)". Hockeydb.com. July 29, 1990. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  3. ^ "2005 WHL Bantam Draft List". Western Hockey League. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  4. ^ "Locally Grown". inlander.com. October 13, 2010. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
  5. ^ "Chiefs Win – Johnson Hits Century Mark". Spokane Chiefs. February 25, 2011.
  6. ^ Fowler, Annie (February 13, 2011). "Best of the West 2011". The Tri-City Herald. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
  7. ^ "Johnson Signs with Tampa Bay". Spokane Chiefs. March 7, 2011.
  8. ^ Conday, Michael (July 17, 2010). "Little Man, Big Winner". Minnesota Wild.
  9. ^ "Johnson named Player of the Month". Theahl.com. April 2, 2012. Archived from the original on January 11, 2015. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
  10. ^ "Admirals close regular season with 28th straight win". Hamptonroads.com. April 16, 2012.
  11. ^ "Admirals sweep Toronto, win AHL's Calder Cup". Hamptonroads.com. June 10, 2012. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  12. ^ a b "Crunch forward Tyler Johnson named President's Award Winner". Syracuse Crunch. July 11, 2013.
  13. ^ "Lightning 4, Hurricanes 1 – 03/16/13". Tampa Bay Lightning. March 16, 2013.
  14. ^ "Avalanche's MacKinnon wins Calder Trophy". National Hockey League. June 24, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
  15. ^ "NHL announces 2013–14 All-Rookie Team". National Hockey League. June 24, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
  16. ^ Joe McDonald (May 18, 2015). "Tampa Bay's Triplets Line a rare dynamic unit in today's playoffs". ESPN. ESPN. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  17. ^ Burns, Bryan (April 27, 2015). "Lightning force Game 7 with 5–2 win in Detroit". Tampa Bay Lightning Beat Writer. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  18. ^ Burns, Bryan (May 18, 2015). "Lightning level series with 6–2 win over Rangers". Tampa Bay Lightning Beat Writer. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  19. ^ Burns, Bryan (June 6, 2015). "Bolts even up Stanley Cup Final with 4–3 win over Blackhawks". Tampa Bay Lightning Beat Writer. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  20. ^ O'Brien, James (June 15, 2015). "Injuries revealed: Johnson's wrist was broken, Bishop played through groin tear". NBCSports ProHockeyTalk. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  21. ^ @TBLightning (November 15, 2016). "Johnson's 100th career NHL assist" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  22. ^ Hogg, Dave (November 15, 2016). "Nikita Kucherov sends Lightning past Red Wing". NHL.com. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  23. ^ @BBurnsNHL (February 18, 2017). "Johnson records 200th NHL point" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  24. ^ @TBLightning (February 23, 2017). "Johnson plays in 300th career NHL game" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  25. ^ "Lightning re-sign forward Tyler Johnson to seven-year extension". NHL.com. Tampa Bay Lightning. July 10, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  26. ^ Auman, Greg (October 25, 2017). "Lightning defense steps up in win over Hurricanes (w/video)". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on October 26, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  27. ^ Long, Corey (December 30, 2017). "Flyers end Lightning home winning streak at eight". National Hockey League. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  28. ^ Burns, Bryan (December 31, 2017). "Burns: 3 Things we learned from shutting out the Blue Jackets". Tampa Bay Lightning. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  29. ^ "Tampa Bay Lightning vs. New York Islanders game stats". NHL.com. National Hockey League. March 22, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  30. ^ Kelly, Nick (October 16, 2018). "Tyler Johnson hat trick sends Lightning past Hurricanes". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  31. ^ @BBurnsNHL (October 17, 2018). "With that goal, Johnson (112 career goals) moves past Brian Bradley (111) and into sole possession of 8th place among Tampa Bay's all-time goal scorers" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  32. ^ @StatsCentre (December 29, 2018). "Tyler Johnson's goal tonight (that gave his team a temporary 4–3 lead vs the Habs) put him past Vinny Prospal for 7th all-time on the @TBLightning career goals list (128)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  33. ^ "Steven Stamkos notches 800th career point as Lightning overcome slow start to top Canadiens". Fox Sports. December 28, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  34. ^ @BBurnsNHL (January 30, 2020). "That goal was the 151st of Tyler Johnson's career, moving him past Brad Richards and into 5th place among Tampa Bay's all-time leading goal scorers" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  35. ^ "Spokane native Tyler Johnson, Tampa Bay Lightning win Stanley Cup Final". KREM.com. September 28, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  36. ^ "Johnson, pick traded to Blackhawks by Lightning for Seabrook". NHL.com. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  37. ^ a b Kauchak, Gail (May 1, 2022). "Chicago Blackhawks' 2021-22 Player Grades: Forwards". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  38. ^ "Bruins Sign Tyler Johnson to Professional Tryout Agreement". Boston Bruins. August 31, 2024.
  39. ^ "Johnson joins Bruins on one-year, $775,000 deal". Boston Bruins. November 4, 2024.
  40. ^ "U.S. National Junior Team Falls in a Shootout, 5–4, to Canada". USA Hockey. December 31, 2009. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011.
  41. ^ "Locally Grown".
  42. ^ "Spokane's Johnson becomes NHL playoffs star – Sportspress Northwest". May 20, 2015.
  43. ^ "Spokane native, Tampa Bay Lightning F Tyler Johnson was frequently overlooked, but he was always a natural". September 23, 2020.
  44. ^ "Five Chiefs earn post season honors". Spokanechiefs.com. March 23, 2011.
  45. ^ Tucker, Cam (June 24, 2014). "Lightning forwards Johnson, Palat named to NHL 2014 All-Rookie team". NBC ProHockeyTalk. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
  46. ^ Burns, Bryan (January 10, 2015). "Steven Stamkos, Tyler Johnson Named NHL All-Stars; Drouin to Compete in Skills Competition". Tampa Bay Lightning Beat Writer. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
  47. ^ "Tampa Bay Lightning win Stanley Cup in Pandemic Bubble". New York Times. September 28, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
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