Kent Johnson (born October 18, 2002) is a Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

currently playing for the

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL). He played

college ice hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America. In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the g ...

for the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. He was drafted fifth overall by the Blue Jackets in the

2021 NHL Entry Draft The 2021 NHL Entry Draft was the 59th NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held on July 23–24, 2021, delayed by one month from its normally scheduled time of June due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the later-than-normal finish of the 2020–21 NHL se ...

Playing career

Junior

During the 2018–19 season in his first season with the

Trail Smoke Eaters The Trail Smoke Eaters are a junior A ice hockey team from Trail, British Columbia, Canada. They are a part of the British Columbia Hockey League. History The Smoke Eaters (aka ''Smokies'') have existed as both junior and senior teams since th ...

of the

British Columbia Hockey League The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league from British Columbia under Hockey Canada and BC Hockey. Founded in Vernon in 1961, the BCHL now includes 18 teams. From 1993 to 2021, the league was a member of the Ca ...

(BCHL), Johnson recorded 20 goals and 26 points in 57 games. During the 2019–20 season, he recorded 41 goals and 60 assists in 52 games and won the Brett Hull Trophy as the league's leading scorer. Following an outstanding season, he was named BCHL First-Team All-Star, BCHL Most Sportsmanlike Player, BCHL Most Valuable Player, and Canadian Junior Hockey League Forward of the Year.

Collegiate

Johnson began his collegiate career for the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisio ...

during the 2020–21 season. On January 8, 2021, Johnson recorded a career-high five points in a game against

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

. He became the first Michigan player to record five points in a game since

J. T. Compher Joseph Taylor Compher (born April 8, 1995) is an American professional ice hockey center for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the second round, 35th overall, by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2013 NHL Ent ...

on March 18, 2016. He was subsequently named the Big Ten Conference First Star of the Week for the week ending January 13, 2021. He finished his freshman season with nine goals and 18 assists in 26 games. He ranked second in rookie scoring in the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

and third in the nation in rookie points per game. Following the season, he was named to the All-

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

Freshman Team. During the 2021–22 season in his sophomore year, he recorded eight goals and 29 assists in 32 games. He finished fourth in the nation in assists per game and ranked 16th in points per game.

Professional

On July 23, 2021, Johnson was drafted in the first round, fifth overall, by the

in the

. On April 8, 2022, Johnson signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Blue Jackets. He made his NHL debut on April 13, 2022, in a game against the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

. He finished the 2021–22 season with three assists in nine games. Johnson scored his first career NHL goal on October 22, 2022, against

Tristan Jarry Tristan Jarry (born April 29, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Jarry was selected by the Penguins in the second round (44th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Dra ...

of the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

International play

On July 21, 2021, Johnson was selected to attend Canada's National Junior Team summer development camp. On January 25, 2022, Johnson was named to

Team Canada Canadian National Team or Team Canada may refer to: Canada at multi-sport events * Canada at the Olympics * Canada at the Paralympics * Canada at the Commonwealth Games * Canada at the Pan American Games Canada's national sport teams * Canada me ...

's roster as an alternate to represent

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

at the

2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics (2022年冬季奥林匹克运动会), officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), was an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beij ...

. He recorded one goal and four assists in five games during the tournament. On May 9, 2022, Johnson was named to Canada's roster to compete at the

2022 IIHF World Championship The 2022 IIHF World Championship was hosted by Finland from 13 to 29 May 2022, as the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) announced on 19 May 2017 in Cologne, Germany. The host cities of the World Championships were Tampere and Helsinki, ...

. When he scored a goal in Canada's

Group A Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived vehicles intended for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles w ...

first preliminary round game, he became the fourth player in history to score at least one goal at the World Juniors, Olympics, and Worlds in the same season. The others to accomplish this feat were

Saku Koivu Saku Antero Koivu (; born November 23, 1974) is a Finns, Finnish former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). He began his NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens in 1995–96 NHL season, 1995–96 after th ...

(1993–94),

Evgeni Malkin Evgeni Vladimirovich Malkin ( rus, Евге́ний Влади́мирович Ма́лкин, p=jɪvˈɡʲenʲɪj ˈmaɫkʲɪn; born 31 July 1986) is a Russian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of ...

(2005–06), and

Eeli Tolvanen Eeli Tolvanen (; born 22 April 1999) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). Tolvanen was selected by the Nashville Predators in the first round, 30th overa ...

(2017–18). He recorded four goals and three assists in ten games and won a silver medal. He represented

at the

2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships were the 46th edition of the IIHF World Junior Championship, played from August 9–20, 2022 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The tournament was originally scheduled to be held from Dece ...

, where he recorded three goals and six assists in seven games. He scored the game-winning overtime goal to help Canada win gold.

Personal life

Johnson was born to Jay and Anita Johnson. His brother, Kyle, plays hockey for

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Kent 2002 births Living people Columbus Blue Jackets draft picks Columbus Blue Jackets players Ice hockey people from British Columbia Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey players National Hockey League first-round draft picks People from Port Moody Trail Smoke Eaters players Ice hockey players at the 2022 Winter Olympics Olympic ice hockey players of Canada