When Kenny Johnson first walked into the Victoria Grizzlies dressing room in Langley last Friday night, meeting his new teammates for the first time since coming over from the Penticton Vees, he knew he had found a home.
A winning home.
鈥淵ou could tell right away by just looking into their eyes that this team was focused on winning and is ready to do something special. They all just had that look,鈥� the 20-year-old defenceman said at practice this week after helping his new team pick up wins in Wenatchee and Trail over the weekend, including scoring a goal.
And Johnson knows a little about winning. He spent two and a half seasons in Penticton, winning a league championship and playing 10 playoff games last season. He鈥檚 also headed to the NCAA next fall with the University of Michigan Wolverines. The Ann Arbor, Michigan, native also comes from a winning family with older brother Jack a former first round NHL draft pick and now patrolling the blue line for the perennial powerhouse Pittsburgh Penguins.
鈥淭he trade for me was bittersweet because I had gotten to know the players and coaches in Penticton really well,鈥� added Johnson, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs in at 215 pounds.
鈥淏ut I鈥檝e gotten to know the Victoria guys well on the road and they鈥檙e a really talented team, with a lot of high-end talent and a solid group on defence and two great goalies, so I think this team can do something really special this season.鈥�
Johnson said his NHL brother was happy he鈥檚 landed in Victoria as well.
鈥淗e鈥檚 not all that familiar with the BCHL but he knows who the better teams are and he鈥檚 happy I鈥檓 with one of them.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 get to see each other much during the season, obviously, he鈥檚 pretty busy, but we talk on the phone and he鈥檚 happy that I鈥檓 happy.鈥�
Grizzlies GM and head coach Craig Didmon knew he needed a little more toughness on the blue line to go along with offensive juggernauts Carter Berger and Jeremie Bucheler, and Johnson had delivered just that.
鈥淗e鈥檚 made a solid impact right away,鈥� said Didmon, whose club takes its Island Division-leading 27-13-0-2 record into Powell River tonight for the first of two key games against the Kings (25-16-1-0).
鈥淗is veteran experience showed throughout the weekend in tough buildings and he makes us much better defensively with three strong pairings now. Paired up with Cole Noble, those two are a physical force and tough to play against.鈥�
Johnson said he hasn鈥檛 had much time to check out his new city yet, and with the Grizzlies playing their next three games on the road, he won鈥檛 even get to play a game in his home rink until Jan. 25.
鈥淚t is a bit strange waiting that long for a home game, but being on the road is actually a perfect beginning because I get to hang out with the guys on the bus and at the hotel and stuff so you develop a bond real quickly, which is what you want.
鈥淎s for the city, I鈥檝e come here a few times for games, never really had that much success, but you see the beauty of the ocean and mountains and the weather. I mean if this is winter, count me in.鈥�
The Grizzlies will need to be all-in this weekend as Powell River is just five points back in the race for the division title.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 think of a bigger weekend for us,鈥� Didmon said.
鈥淲e need to be very sound and responsible defensively. Both teams鈥� special teams are very strong. We have to be disciplined against theirs and take advantage of ours. There are lots of good players on both sides. It鈥檚 an interesting matchup.鈥�
LOOSE PUCKS: Alex Newhook of the Grizzlies and Ryan Brushett of Powell River are vying for the BCHL scoring title. The projected 2019 first-round NHL draft pick Newhook leads by seven with 69 points in 38 games to second-place Brushett鈥檚 62 points in 41 games. Both expect to be in the NCAA next season with Newhook committed to Boston College and the 20-year-old Brushett headed to Nebraska-Omaha. . . . Kings alumni Cam Donaldson of Cornell and Jarid Lukosevicius of Denver are among the 81 nominees named Thursday for the 2019 Hobey Baker Award as NCAA player of the year. Fan balloting will whittle that to a top-10 list, and then top-three, ahead of the winner being named April 12 at the Frozen Four in Buffalo.
鈥� With files from Cleve Dheensaw
