The Columbus Blue Jackets have said they will hold everybody accountable. They once again continued to prove that they’re not messing around when it comes to overall accountability. This time, one of their young stars and an important part of the franchise got the news.
Kent Johnson, drafted fifth overall in the 2021 NHL Draft by the Blue Jackets, was sent to the AHL on Friday. This is even after his rookie season in 2022-23 where he scored 16 goals and 40 points.
This led some to already question if Johnson’s future with the Blue Jackets was in some kind of jeopardy. Many saw the demotion coupled with the news that Johnson switched agents and thought trouble could be brewing.
That couldn’t be further from the truth. The Blue Jackets have a detailed plan for Johnson. And although Johnson admitted being demoted was “difficult”, he remains unfazed and knows exactly what he needs to do. In fact, he admitted he’s having fun in the early going in Cleveland.
Johnson Having Fun
Johnson actually insisted on going to Cleveland right away once he learned of the news. Blue Jackets head coach Pascal Vincent admitted this on Saturday morning before their game against the Washington Capitals.
Johnson practiced with the Blue Jackets. It was a high-paced, hard practice. The team gave him the option of not having to play Friday given the practice.
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But instead, Johnson told them he wanted to play right away. That’s just the kind of player he is. He’s a true rink rat. He wants to play as much as possible. Now with the Monsters, he will play top minutes while getting his confidence back while continuing to develop.
Johnson immediately saw several familiar faces around the Monsters locker room. Among them were Jake Christiansen, who is one of his best friends, and Nick Blankenburg, who was his teammate at the University of Michigan. But then there were several players at Blue Jackets’ training camp who Johnson knew. It made being demoted easier to handle.
“It was difficult (being demoted.) I got some great teammates here and buddies that helped me through it,” Johnson said. “I was even thinking that if I wasn’t so tight with these guys, it would suck. So yeah, that was definitely really helpful.”
Having familiar faces around and being able to work on things with them was a big factor for Johnson to come in and have fun.
“I know them all from camp. They’re really good guys. So right when I got back to the room, it was fun just catching up with them. It’s a great group.”
Trent Vogelhuber’s Role
The Monsters came back from a late 4-3 deficit on Saturday night against the Providence Bruins to win 5-4. With the score 3-3 in the third period and on the power play, Johnson was stripped of the puck and John Farinacci scored on the resulting shorthanded breakaway.
However earlier in the game, Johnson found best friend Christiansen with a perfect feed to open the scoring for the Monsters. It encapsulated the up and down night Johnson had. Head coach Trent Vogelhuber knows just how special a player he is. But the head coach realizes he’s going to help the Blue Jackets’ plan for Johnson along.
“First, I want to build confidence and that’s gonna come naturally with him on the ice more,” Vogelhuber said. “But it’s the same things. Everyone is here for a reason and he’s certainly included in that. So we’re building (his) confidence. He’s got so much skill. We want to make sure he deploys that properly and at the right times, right?”
“So, you have examples with him tonight with the passes he makes for goals which you can’t coach that stuff. But at the end of the game in a big game right where you probably do a little but too much and I think he’d be the first to admit that. So it’s just learning by going through it, understanding time and situation in games and giving it to get it back in some of those situations. It’s gonna be a process, but he’s got a great attitude and he’s been working hard.”
Johnson is off to a good start with the Monsters. He has three points in his first two games and will continue to get big minutes while working on many facets of his game.
There is Precedence
Coach Vincent has been in a similar situation before on other teams with players like Johnson. Vincent spent a good four minutes on Saturday morning discussing Johnson’s plan and comparing what he’s going through to another offensive star who took a similar path.
“We’ve seen a guy. His name is Kyle Connor in Winnipeg. Kyle was an outstanding hockey player at the time,” Vincent said. “He was just losing his confidence a little bit. We knew back then he was going to be a key player for the Winnipeg Jets at the time. But he needed to play minutes. He needed to feel good about himself. He needed to have fun going to the rink, having a primary role on the power play, five-on-five, feeling good about himself.”
“But for those guys especially the offensive players, they need that confidence because if they don’t, then they’ll start forcing plays. We don’t want to turn Kent Johnson into Voronkov. They’re different kind of players.”
“So for Kent, we have a physical program for him so he gets stronger and it’s gonna get there. This guys works and he’s a good person. He’s a good teammate. We think the world of Kent Johnson. But we also know that in order for him to become that player that we think he can become in the NHL, he’s got elite skills, now it’s just a matter of building him into the player we think he can become. So those moments in the American Hockey League are huge.”
Vincent and the Blue Jackets are looking at this as a long-term investment into Johnson’s future.
“I feel like we’re putting money in the bank for him. We’re just investing, putting money in the bank, putting money in the bank and growing it, his assets. So when he comes back, he’s the player that he feels he can be with confidence and making a difference, because he’s gonna be a difference maker in the NHL, no doubt. And we’re just investing in him right now. And he responded well like a man. He had a smile in his face. He loves playing hockey.”
“So we have a very special player on our hands. We just want to protect him as much as we can. And right now I feel his confidence is slipping a little bit. We can’t afford that because it can go that way for a very long time. And then at some point, the player never became the player that we think he can become. And it would be our mistake. And we don’t want to make that mistake.”
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The Blue Jackets in year’s past didn’t consistency have this kind of accountability. Just 11 games into the new season, several decisions including the one with Johnson have shown that they’re trying to make things different now. While some teams may not have gone down this road with a fifth-overall pick, the Blue Jackets didn’t hesitate to make this move.
The key to this kind of move is communication. Johnson said that the Blue Jackets did a good job in communicating their plans with him.
“I think they did a good job communicating. I know I’m an important part of this franchise and I’m gonna keep working,” Johnson said. “I really believe in myself. I think I’ll be fine.”
Johnson is a very hard worker who is carrying the right attitude about this move. He’s surrounded by his good friends and will now have a chance to find his confidence while playing in important situations.
If it worked for Connor in Winnipeg, it can definitely work for Johnson here. He was unfazed by the demotion and has already shown he’s ready to put in the work. It could be an exciting day for the Blue Jackets when Johnson returns a more improved version of himself. Both he and the team sure hope that’s the final outcome of this.
Monsters Side Dishes
- James Malatesta scored his first AHL goal on Saturday night. He admitted postgame the AHL transition was harder than he thought it would be. “The guys are bigger and stronger. Getting to know your new teammates, new coaching staff, new systems. So kind of getting all that together. It might be a lot at first but I think my transition’s been pretty good so far. I know it’s good to get the first one off the back.”
- Malatesta among others have been in and out of the lineup with the Monsters have so many players available to them. Here’s Malatesta on what he hopes to do to stay in: “Every time I’m on the ice, be noticeable. Either if it’s with a hit, getting shots on net. But overall, just using my speed, being effective and really giving them a reason not to take me out.”
- Luca Del Bel Belluz was also in and out of the lineup. He scored the tying goal later in the third period while camped out in front of Bruins goalie Kyle Keyser. He had that goal and an assist on Saturday and now has five points in his first four AHL games.
- With the win, the Monsters improved to 6-3-0 on the season and are second in the North Division. It’s especially an impressive start given how many young players they have coupled with the lineup shuffling going on. With some really talented players on the team, extra importance will be placed on the Monsters this season knowing that what happens will directly impact what will happen to the Blue Jackets in future seasons.
