Johnsson digs in for late grind
Winger working on his puck possession since returning to the lineup
The Maple Leafs’ subway ride to their outdoor practice Thursday couldn’t have been any sweeter for Andreas Johnsson.
Having recovered from the effects of a recent concussion, the speedy winger is eager to make more strides in the lunch-bucket role the coaching staff has been grooming him for this season.
At 24, Johnsson is a bit older than most NHL rookies, and has had to reinvent himself to a degree to stay in the lineup. A scoring star with the American Hockey League’s Marlies, the winger was encouraged to embrace a more grinding style — something the Leafs needed more after teammate William Nylander signed and returned to the lineup in December. So far, so good. “I feel that coming out of my (concussion, suffered in a Jan. 20 game against Arizona), I tried to get back to where I was, and it took a couple of days to get there,” Johnsson said at Thursday’s downtown practice, which drew a crowd estimated at about 9,000 at Nathan Phillips Square. “I feel my consistency with the puck and protecting the puck was important for me, and I feel like I’ve got that right now.”
Essentially, he was told to use his speed but retrain his hockey sense to stress puck possession over pure scoring. That’s never been easy for Johnsson.
After making strides and earning the coaches’ confidence, the concussion almost set him back to square one, he said. He had to prove himself all over again.
“I’ve been there a couple of times in my career … maybe not at the beginning of the season like this year, but I learned not to stress out so much, and not struggle so much with it (mentally),” he said. “If you go out and do your work, work hard, it makes all that (tough times) shorter. The speed is another level up here, and there’s always guys (stepping into the lineup), so you’ve got to be quicker and better all the time.”
The scoring touch is still there. He has three goals in his past two games, and notched his first career hat trick on Nov. 11 against the Philadelphia Flyers. He has 13 goals and 14 assists on the season, much of that recorded while skating on a line with Auston Matthews during Nylander’s contract impasse.
Coach Mike Babcock likes to shuffle his lines, so the opportunity to move up is there for Johnsson, now toiling on the fourth unit. The harder he works, the more confidence the coaching staff has in him. It’s a work in progress, but Johnsson has become more consistent and improved his ability to protect the puck and create scoring chances.
It’s an interesting challenge for a rookie. Many young players who were scoring stars at lower levels are urged to grind and kill penalties when they reach the NHL. For Johnsson, though, it was more about becoming a scorer who is tough to play against.
“It’s me finding time and space, and have the puck and make plays,” he said. “I’ve got to play smart and play the system, play faster and be stronger at my position.”