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Blue Jackets sign top prospect, Johnson, plus Michigan teammate Blankenburg
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- Blue Jackets sign top prospect, Johnson, plus Michigan teammate Blankenburg
The wait is officially over.
After closely monitoring Kent Johnson during a busy amateur season for the University of Michigan and two Canadian national teams, the Blue Jackets signed their top pick from the 2021 draft to a three-year, entry-level contract Friday — a day after the Wolverines were eliminated by Denver in the NCAA's Frozen Four .
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"As every young player does, he still needs to keep improving and a good next step for him is to test how he does with NHL players," Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. "It's going to be a big step from college hockey, but he has all the talent in the world and we're all here to help him take the next step. We believe he's going to be an impact player for us in the near future."
Columbus also landed Johnson's teammate, defenseman Nick Blankenburg, on a one-year ELC that adds the 23-year old puck-mover to a growing list of highly-regarded defenders within the Jackets' system — ranging from prospects to NHL talent.
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"We watched Michigan a lot this season and each time came away more and more impressed by Nick and the way he plays the game," Kekalainen said in a release issued about 15 minutes after Johnson's went out. "He is a talented, smart, really competitive player with great leadership qualities and we are thrilled to welcome him to our organization."
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Both players are expected to see NHL action this season after joining the Blue Jackets on Monday in Columbus. One or both might also take in the Jackets' game Saturday night in Detroit as fans.
Johnson, selected fifth overall, was the Jackets' first of three first-round picks in the 2021 draft. They also selected center Cole Sillinger 12th and defenseman Corson Ceulemans with the 25th pick. Sillinger, 18, is now wrapping up his rookie season as the NHL's youngest player, centering the team's second forward line, and Ceulemans impressed as a freshman this year for the University of Wisconsin.
Blankenburg, listed at 5-foot-9, started at Michigan as a walk-on and worked his way up to team captain as a senior. He's a right-handed shot with some snarl to his game, drawing comparisons to undersized St. Louis Blues defenseman Torey Krug — a Michigan State alum.
The Blue Jackets are excited about adding Blankenburg, who could boost what's already a talented group of prospects the Jackets have acquired via drafts, trades and free agency the past two years.
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"We certainly think he can make it on this level," Kekalainen said. "That's why we signed him. And I love his story, how he's come from a walk-on at Michigan to become a captain of the team and a full scholarship player at the end of his career there."
Johnson, 19, returned to Michigan for his sophomore year and showed why he was drafted so high. The 6-1, 165-pound winger tied for fourth in scoring for Michigan with 37 points in just 32 games and his average of 1.156 points per game was second only to center Matty Beniers (1.162) — who was selected second overall last year by the Seattle Kraken .
Johnson also played for Canada at this year's world junior championships before the tournament was canceled by a COVID-19 outbreak. He then made the Canadian roster for the Beijing Winter Olympics, starting as an alternate and becoming a key part of a roster filled with pros and former NHLers.
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Johnson's scoring line of 1-4-5 in five games tied him for fifth in plus/minus rating, sixth in assists and seventh in points.
"He started as an extra guy and became a regular," Kekalainen said. "That was a great test for him, again, but he's had two very successful years in college hockey, which is not junior hockey. There's a lot more mature men playing that game and obviously the Olympics was another great test for him that he did very well with. Now he's going to get another one."
Johnson, who's from Port Moody, British Columbia, played center exclusively before arriving at Michigan. He played two years on the right wing for the Wolverines, utilizing his left-hand shot as a playmaking "off" wing, and will likely start out in that capacity for Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen.
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"If you want to go to the hockey specifics, the vision, the creativity, the skill level … he has all those things that you want to see in a high-end offensive player," Kekalainen said. "The way he sees the game, the way he anticipates and has the hand skills to deliver, they're all there. Now comes the test of playing at a higher pace and playing against bigger and stronger men, that's all."
bhedger@dispatch.com
@BrianHedger
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets sign Kent Johnson, Michigan teammate Nick Blankenburg
