Getting To Know Andreas Johnson

By Alex Hobson

On Thursday, June 4th 2015, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced two small signings. These signings were the resigning of defenseman T.J Brennan, a mobile defenseman whom the Leafs acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Spencer Abbott on Febrary 26th, 2014. The other was the signing of 20 year old prospect Andreas Johnson to a 3 year entry level contract. Now, Johnson is one of those prospects that has somewhat flown under the radar for the Leafs. When you think about Leafs prospects, the names that usually pop into your head at first are William Nylander, Connor Brown, Stuart Percy, etc. but Johnson has more of an upside than you'd think. Here is my take on Andreas Johnson and what I think he could bring to the team.

It all began on June 30th, 2013, at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, when former GM Dave Nonis announced that the Leafs had selected Johnson with their 7th round pick (202nd overall). He is a small, speedy winger that has a knack for scoring goals. He's spent his last 3 seasons with Frolunda HC of the Swedish Hockey League, recording a lone goal over 7 games in his first season with Frolunda HC in 2012-13. The next season, however, he won the Swedish Hockey League Rookie of the Year award, recording a much better looking  15 goals and 24 points over 44 games for the club. The thing that not a lot of people find appealing about Johnson, is the same reason some people have doubted prospects such as William Nylander and Connor Brown in the past. His size.

Johnson stands at 5'10 and 183 pounds, so he's already smaller than the average NHL player, but he makes up for his size with tremendous offensive talent and good playmaking skills. It's possible that some people are starting to realize that size doesn't always complete a player. Look at this year's playoffs, for example, and you'll see that players such as Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames, and most notably, Tyler Johnson of the Tampa Bay Lightning have absolutely lit it up over the playoffs, while Tyler Johnson continues to do so as his team fights for the Stanley Cup. What do these two players have in common? They're both small. Johnny Gaudreau is 5'9 and 150 pounds, while Tyler Johnson stands at 5'9 and 175 pounds. Tyler Johnson came into last year as a rookie and was contending for the Calder Trophy, while Gaudreau did the same for the Flames this year. These players may not be the most physical of players or the hardest hitting, but they certainly know how to put the puck in the net, which has helped their respective teams tremendously.

All in all, I think Andreas Johnson, if developed right, could blossom into a solid 2nd line scorer. The key word there is "right". In the past, the Leafs have been known to ruin prospects and rush them into the lineup. But with the new management team of Shanahan, Hunter, and Dubas, I think they'll finally fix the mistakes former Leafs management has caused the franchise over the past few years.

What's your take on Johnson, Leafs fans? Could he be a solid player in the future? What do you think of him? Leave feedback below.