As Gophers assistant hockey coach Mike Guentzel explains the first drill at practice, Erik Johnson stretches while listening attentively in the midst of his huddled teammates. <\/p>\n
The freshman defenseman, wearing a black practice jersey like his fellow blue-liners, attracts little attention with his quiet demeanor as he gets ready for work. <\/p>\n
Even with his 6-feet 4-inch, 222-pound frame, Johnson commands no immediate notice as his humble, quiet manner keeps him going about his business with little distraction. <\/p>\n
But the truth is, the 18-year-old Johnson lost any signs of hockey anonymity years ago. Anonymity became impossible after the St. Louis Blues selected Johnson with the top pick in last summer’s NHL Entry Draft. <\/p>\n
“It’s kinda cool how things fall into place and how what I dreamed about could become a reality,” Johnson said. “I’m really grateful and fortunate.” <\/p>\n
Yet Johnson goes about his business “unassuming,” as head coach Don Lucia describes him, taking nothing for granted and ingesting as much of the game as he can. <\/p>\n
Lucia summed up Johnson’s life at the University perfectly, saying it’s a balancing act of big-time hockey and the education of regular-Joe college life. <\/p>\n
On Friday and Saturday nights, Johnson skates underneath the mural of Gophers hockey greats in the northeast corner of Mariucci Arena, including his great-uncle Ken Yackel. <\/p>\n
The rest of the week, he is just another face in the Stadium Village crowd. <\/p>\n
Like many freshmen living in Territorial Hall, Johnson demonstrates an ordinary-kid mentality day in and day out, despite the hype surrounding his name. <\/p>\n
“He’s a low-key guy who likes to chill with his buddies, having a good time and kind of messing around,” teammate Jay Barriball said.<\/p>\n
Barriball, who’s known Johnson since their freshman year at the Academy of Holy Angels, said Johnson’s modesty toward his gift on the ice is a testament to his normalcy in the midst of professional hype. <\/p>\n
The camaraderie shows as Barriball makes the trip to Johnson’s room on Monday nights to spend a pivotal two-hour block watching Fox’s “Prison Break” and “24.” <\/p>\n
Occasionally, the two hear a knock on the door from a visitor, but for the most part, aside from a text message or two, nothing shakes their concentration from the television. <\/p>\n
Once “Prison Break’s” music hits the screen at 7 p.m. sharp, the lights go out and the dorm room door shuts completely. <\/p>\n
The first twist of the episode hits. “Unreal start,” Johnson murmurs. <\/p>\n
A short paper for class awaits him once the shows are over, but Johnson knows it can wait. <\/p>\n
It’s a perk he enjoys as an independent 18-year-old. <\/p>\n
“(I like) just hanging out — relaxing in my dorm room,” Johnson said before practice. “Like today, I had just one class in the morning and then went back to my dorm and watched a movie I bought last night.” <\/p>\n
Johnson admits to not leaving his dorm much, welcoming others for a visit before he heads to bed around 11 p.m. or midnight. <\/p>\n
It’s a formula he uses to put his best foot forward at the rink, a place where he will undoubtedly work as a professional. <\/p>\n
Johnson already has that professional attitude toward hockey. <\/p>\n
“I treat it as a business,” Johnson said. “It’s probably what I’m going to be doing for the rest of my life, and I’ve got to treat it like that.” <\/p>\n
But through that “business” outlook, a teenager still emerges in the midst of downtime, and teammates and coaches know it. <\/p>\n
While sitting on the bench before practice, assistant coach John Hill throws jokes toward Johnson and razzes him about suddenly liking the Chicago Bears. <\/p>\n
“I did not jump on the Bears’ bandwagon,” Johnson shoots back with a grin. <\/p>\n
Later, he pokes at teammates with his stick while skating around before practice, playfully tugging at their shin pads as others give him an elbow nudge. <\/p>\n
That youthful enthusiasm speaks volumes, and it didn’t go unnoticed by NHL scouts. <\/p>\n
Jarmo Kekalainen, assistant general manager and director of amateur scouting for the Blues, said Johnson’s well-liked personality and humbleness stood out just as much as his physical abilities. <\/p>\n
“We always say we look for what players have between the ears and in the chest cavity,” he said. “It’s a huge part of it – it defines what’s in your heart.” <\/p>\n
Lucia agrees with that sentiment, saying the way Johnson interacts with others gives people the impression he’s just a regular player, not a teenager one signature away from professional hockey. <\/p>\n
But before any contracts or endorsement deals are signed, Johnson spends his time studying, watching TV and skating toward the future. <\/p>\n
“I’m just like any other college student, except I have one little label on me with the NHL,” Johnson said. “For the most part it’s just like (being) a regular student.” <\/p>\n
A regular student with a little more at his fingertips.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Even with his 6-feet 4-inch, 222-pound frame, Erik Johnson attracts little attention with his quiet demeanor. Bu the 18-year-old lost any signs of hockey anonymity after the St. Louis Blues selected Johnson with the top pick in last summer’s NHL Entry Draft. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":140328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n