Erik Johnson

yet can move the puck as well as any other player in the tournament. 

21-year old Erik Johnson (Bloomington, MN) has not had the NHL career that he has hoped for thus far.  Missing the entire 2008-09 season, Johnson did come back with a vengeance.  Currently tied for third on the Blues in points (12-12—24), Johnson adds size and long-stretch passes to a strong USA blue line.

Continue reading "Is This the Right Team USA?"

t could be a trend that changes over time.  In one of Murray's final games as coach, youngster Erik Johnson was a healthy scratch due to a poor performance as of late, despite veteran Eric Brewer posting a team-worst -10 and playing in every game that he is physically able to.  With Payne calling the shots, that type of favoritism may be a thing of the past.

Continue reading "Murray Out; Payne In"

atistic.

Brewer gets the same treatment as the rest of the roster, right?  Just ask Erik Johnson, who watched the Blues get booed off their home ice Tuesday as a healthy scratch.  Johnson, who is tied for fourth on the Blues with 21 points, has struggled with his play as of late.  He has missed defensive assignments and has iced the puck more than usual, but has still been a bright spot for the club.  As a paid NHL player, it is within the organization's rights to sit the young defenseman.  That is not where the argument lies though.  Why do the veterans get special treatment?

Continue reading "Wrong Coach or Wrong Team?"

for grit on the team, but will most likely not be dressed in the same games.

Defenseman Erik Johnson has showed flashes of brilliance thus far.

Erik is trying to prove to the city that the golf cart is the only thing that can stop him.

Continue reading "Blues Early Season News and Notes"

eam has a few young defensemen who may be able to shut down Dany Heatley and Joe Thornton.  If Erik Johnson can prove that he is NHL-worthy, he may be able to get in the face of Thornton and keep him on the perimeter.  Plus, the Sharks have a very fast-paced, quick-passing style of play.  If the “Kid Line” is in full-swing, they can control the puck with the best of them. 

Continue reading "The Official 2009-10 NHL Hockey Online ..."

eam improved their back-up goalie position, but they also upgraded their defensive play.  With Erik Johnson returning from injury and Alex Pietrangelo expected to play, the team looks to be more of a threat on defensive-scoring.  Johnson tallied 33 points in his rookie campaign, including 28 assists.  What may even be more impressive is that Erik's teammate, Pietrangelo, racked up 53 points in 60 games for the Niagara IceDogs of the OHL in 2007-08, which included 13 goals.  These smart defensemen are also expected to be strong in their own end; both players stand tall at over 6'3” each. 

Continue reading "The Official 2009-10 NHL Hockey Online ..."

ames to get back in their groove, but quick recovery cannot be expected.  Both Paul Kariya and Erik Johnson will have to be ready for action if they are to beat this hungry Swedish squad.

Continue reading "Inter-League Game Could Spell Bad News for NHL"

both belong to separate conferences and Kessel has IIHF World Juniors history with Blues defenseman Erik Johnson.   If this was the real reason that the headline was accidentally posted, why not use a completely outrageous title?  I would have gone with, “Head Coach Gretzky Gives Birth to Orangutan.”

Continue reading "Misprint Still has St. Louis Buzzing"

Berglund and David Perron play in their second full season together, they will also be glad to see Erik Johnson and Paul Kariya return from long injuries.

The Columbus Blue Jackets had an intense season in 2008-09.  After starting with rookie Derick Brassard scorching the ice for the first 31 games, he would fall to a season-ending shoulder injury.  But the Blue Jackets just kept winning with the likes of hot rookie goaltender Steve Mason and top point-getter Rick Nash leading the way.  Finishing seventh in the Western Conference, the Jackets can only get better with Brassard coming back for training camp.

Continue reading "Its Not Going to be Easy"

is not on schedule to be skating by training camp.  With a loss comes a better return though; Erik Johnson will be kept off the golf course and will be in a Blues uniform come September.

Continue reading "Oh Those Summer Blues"

Louis Blues, but he will be called upon again next season to help along players such as Erik Johnson and Alex Pietrangelo.  His current back problem may have been what was holding him back in the past, but he is optimistic about making a strong comeback and being a top-notch defenseman.

Continue reading "Brewer Prepared for Return"

any playing time.  A few factors that added to this equation is that up-and-coming defenseman Erik Johnson missed all of last season with a torn ACL and captain Eric Brewer missed 54 games with a herniated disc-injury in early 2009, leaving Jackman with the most of the workload.  Jackman was forced to play 23:26 on average per game throughout the season, placing him second on the team just behind Brewer.  In the playoffs, Jackman saw 25:18 average time played, which currently places him 11th in the league.

Continue reading "Barret Jackman: A Bust in St. Louis"

This mostly contributes to the fact that players such as Erik Johnson, Eric Brewer, Jay McKee and Roman Polak have all seen considerable time off the ice due to injury.  But the defense that is on the roster now simply has to play the body better in the defensive zone.  All too often opposing forwards are being left open in front of the net, as well as given free range behind the net.  Barret Jackman in particular has played better as of late, but had a horrid start defensively to start the season.  He has not taken the body like he used to before his shoulder surgery far back in the summer of 2004.  He has been hitting more and staying in position better, although he still ranks tied for last on the team in plus/minus with a -14

Continue reading "Playoff Hopes are Unnecessary"

Louis makes their first selection.  Erik Johnson comes and goes, as Pittsburgh, Chicago and Washington make their picks.  The once-projected number one selection still remains and Boston sees no choice but to select him. 

Continue reading "Kessel Worth the Wait"

>That is most likely how long the Blues organization will be without up and coming star defenseman, Erik Johnson.  The 20-year old, coming off of his rookie season, tore his ACL and has some damage to his MCL in an off-ice accident on the golf course.  With a defense that sees more of a turnover rate than McDonald’s, where can the Blues turn to try and fix this hole in the lineup?

Continue reading "Where can the Blues Turn?"

rs lie to fix these problems? 

The easiest answers come from within the organization.  Erik Johnson, who amassed five goals and 28 assists last season, will be coming in for his second full season as a NHL defenseman.  Alex Pietrangelo has an adequate shot of making the team, tallying 53 points in 60 games for the Niagara Ice Dogs of the OHL last season.  And to repeat what critics were saying last season about the current defense of the team, Eric Brewer and Barret Jackman are expected to contribute more offensively than they have in the past.  Looking at the situation on paper though, both players only totaled three goals between them in 2007-08.  It is almost foolish to rely purely on two players under 21 years old and to hope for two veterans to all of a sudden light the lamp constantly.   Bringing in a veteran who is known as a power-play quarterback and a great puck-handler may not be such a bad idea.  Mathieu Schneider is just that man.

Continue reading "Schneider a Must for Blues"

06-07 was the year that David Backes was made a regular face on the Blues roster.  Last season Erik Johnson and David Perron were the big stories in St. Louis, while talks of Patrik Berglund and T.J. Oshie is all that weighs on the minds of Blues fans for the upcoming season.  But Pietrangelo can easily slide his way in and be a vital part of the Blues’ success in 2008-09. 

Continue reading "Pietrangelo Good Fit for Blues"

at “Perron matured and came twice as far as Johnson did.”  This was not a knock on Erik Johnson, but more that Perron was not NHL-ready.  He had to learn how to eat properly and how to stay in shape, even the proper way to warm-up before game-time. 

Continue reading "What It Will Take to Win"