Johnston is certainly doing that. The Stars (15-5-4) are second in the Central Division, five points behind the NHL-leading Colorado Avalanche.
Selected by Dallas with the No. 23 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, Johnston continues to improve in his fourth season with the Stars. He has been particularly good on the power play, with 15 points (nine goals, six assists) this season.
“He’s a young player, very crafty, and is a very coachable young man,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. “When you get the hockey IQ in those young players, it pops out at you. If you look at his skill set, he has a great shot, he doesn’t need much space to shoot. He’s not an overly fast player, he’s not an overly big player, but he’s a very, very effective player in the NHL and it just speaks to his hockey intelligence.”
Gulutzan said he would have Johnston on the Olympic team, but is not picking the squad, although Stars general manager Jim Nill is on the Canadian management team and will have a say.
Gulutzan, who is in first year of his second stint as coach of the Stars, believes Johnston may not be getting the attention Bedard and Celebrini are around the League but is very much in the same category.
“He does fly under the radar for me,” Gulutzan said. “I’ve been very impressed with him as a young man and a player since I’ve gotten here. His attention to detail and his work ethic, he’s a really good young player and probably doesn’t get enough attention.”
Johnston was among the 42 NHL players invited to Hockey Canada’s National Teams Orientation Camp in Calgary Aug. 26-28, along with Bedard and Celebrini. All three were at first considered longshots to make the team.
The longshots might be coming in.
“I think he is in that category, he’s an elite young player and he’s right up there with those two kids,” Stars captain Jamie Benn said. “Maybe he’s a little bit of a hidden gem down here playing for this team but we know how good he is and I think the whole League knows how good he is, and probably he just doesn’t get talked about enough.”
Johnston has improved offensively every season since entering the League in 2022-23. He had 71 points (33 goals, 38 assists) in 82 games last season and 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 18 Stanley Cup Playoff games. The previous season, Johnston had 65 points (32 goals, 33 assists) in 82 games and 16 points (10 goals, six assists) in 19 playoff games.
“He’s a guy that can dominate a game by himself,” Benn said. “He plays a 200-foot game and plays it well and you don’t see that too often in young kids early on when they come into this League, and he has it and has had it since Day 1.”
Johnston has 203 points (101 goals, 101 assists) in 270 games with Dallas. Among those to debut with Dallas, he became the third fastest player to 200 points in team history behind teammates Jason Robertson (190 games) and Roope Hintz (263), who could represent the United States and Finland, respectively, at the Olympics.
“He just does everything right,” Stars forward Sam Steel said. “There isn’t one thing that jumps out at you about his game, just everything is just so good, the subtle little details that he’s so good at add up and give him the success he’s had.
“I think he’s just gotten better every year. That’s kind of what you expect from a young player but when you find that success so early in your career, sometimes it’s tough to improve on that, but he continues to get better and better. It’s huge for him and the organization and everybody.”
Johnston admits he has a lot of room for improvement and a stint with Canada at the Olympics would help accelerate his development.
“I’m 22 years old, and I have a lot of growth ahead of me on and off the ice with my game,” Johnston said. “I think overall it’s been good, but I want to keep getting better, keep improving, keep being a guy that this team can rely on in all sorts of different situations.”
