- Erik Johnson
Infobox Ice Hockey Player
|
position = Defense
shoots = Right
height_ft = 6
height_in = 4
weight_lb = 219
team = St. Louis Blues
league = NHL
nationality = United States
birth_date = birth date and age|1988|3|21
birth_place = Bloomington, MN,USA
draft = 1st overall
draft_year = 2006
draft_team = St. Louis Blues
career_start = 2007|Erik Johnson (born
March 21 ,1988 in Bloomington,Minnesota ) is an Americanice hockey defenseman currently playing for theSt. Louis Blues in theNational Hockey League . He played for the National Team Development Program before being drafted 1st overall by the Blues in the2006 NHL Entry Draft .Playing career
Junior career
Johnson played hockey for the
Academy of Holy Angels inRichfield, Minnesota before transferring toAnn Arbor, Michigan to play for the National Team Development Program (NTDP). He was a member of the 2007 U20 American team that won a Bronze Medal in the U20 World Championships. Johnson was named to the tournaments All-Star Team and was named the Tournaments Best Defenseman. Johnson finished the tournament with 4 goals and 6 assists for 10 points, becoming the first defenseman to lead the tournament in scoring. He attended theUniversity of Minnesota and was signed by the St. Louis Blues onApril 20 ,2007 .Cite web|url=http://blues.nhl.com/team/app?articleid=301967&page=NewsPage&service=page|title=Blues Sign First Overall Draft Pick Erik Johnson|accessdate=2008-02-12|publisher=StLouisBlues.com|year=2007|author=St. Louis Blues]Johnson is one of the few Americans to have been chosen first in the
NHL Entry Draft . The previous American to be chosen first overall was goaltenderRick DiPietro in 2000 by theNew York Islanders .Mike Modano andBrian Lawton were also top American draft picks in 1988 and 1983 respectively, having both been selected first overall by theMinnesota North Stars . AmericanPatrick Kane followed Johnson the following year going first overall.t. Louis Blues
Erik Johnson scored his first NHL goal against the
Los Angeles Kings goalieJonathan Bernier on SaturdayOctober 6 ,2007 . It was also thegame winning goal . [ [http://blues.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=Recap&seas=20072008>ype=2&gnum=34 St Louis Blues - Rec] ]
In the
2007–08 NHL season he averaged over 18 minutes of ice-time per game. Johnson finished his rookie year with 5 goals and 28 assists in 69 games.He has modeled his game after his favorite player
Al MacInnis ,fact|date=June 2008 who also played for the Blues, from 1994 to 2003.He is out indefinitely before playing any pre-season games with a torn ACL and a tear to his MCL, which he sustained when his right foot was caught between the accelerator and brake pedal of his golf cart during a team golf outing on September 16, 2008. It looks like Johnson could miss the entire 2008-2009 NHL season. [ [http://blues.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=383112 Erik Johnson Out Indefinitely, Sept. 23, 2008] ]
Awards
*2005: Gold Medal (2005 World Junior Ice Hockey U18 Championships)
*2006: Gold Medal (2006 World Junior Ice Hockey U18 Championships)
*2006: Bob Johnson Award (Best American Player in International Competition)
*2007: IIHF U-20 World Junior Championship Best Defenseman Directorate Award
*2007: IIHF U-20 World Junior Championship All Star Team
*2007: Bronze Medal (2007 World Junior Ice Hockey U20 Championships)
*2007: WCHA All-Rookie Team
*2007/2008: NHL Played in the Youngstars GameCareer statistics
International play
Played for the United States in:
*2005 World Junior Ice Hockey U18 Championships
*2006 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
*2006 World Junior Ice Hockey U18 Championships
*2007 IIHF World Championship International statistics
ee also
*
List of NHL players
*List of NHL seasons References
External links
*hockeydb|95359
* [http://www.usahockey.com/servlets/FileServlet/relatedDocuments/087476175EA14303E0440003BA5FE009/WJC%20Media%20Guide%202006.pdf United States 2006 WJC Media Guide]
* [http://www.nhl.com/futures/2006draft/johnson_blog.html Erik Johnson's Draft Blog]
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