2021 NHL Entry Draft Prospect Preview

Kent Johnson (C/F)

Age: 18

Height: 6’1

Weight: 163 lbs

Hometown: Port Moody, BC

Current Team: University Of Michigan (NCAA)

As we start looking at the list of prospects that COULD potentially be around when the Flames pick at #12 we are going to take a glimpse at Kent Johnson. Johnson is a freshman at the University of Michigan who had a solid first season with the Wolverines. In his first season with Michigan, Johnson played in 26 games, scored 9 goals and handed out 18 assists. He also managed to stay on the plus side of the ledger (+16) and stayed out of the penalty box with only four PIM all season long.

South Bend Tribune-USA TODAY NETWORK

Despite being only 18 and overshadowed by a player like Owen Power, Johnson finished second on the Wolverines in points with 27. He was also third on the team in shooting percentage (.170) and his three power play tallies were tops on the team for 2021. His two best games of the season saw him hand out four assists in Michigan’s season opener against Arizona State and a five point effort (1 goal, 4 assists ) against Michigan State on January 8th.

Prior to heading to Ann Arbor Michigan, Kent Johnson spent three seasons with the Trail Smoke Eaters of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) from 2017-2020. He played in only three games his first season, but as he saw more action his stats exploded. In his first full year in 2018-19 he would play in 57 games and collect 46 points, but it would be his final year before college where he would make his mark. In 2019-20 he would play in five less games than the season before, but he would obliterate his best totals from 2018-19. Johnson would score 41 goals and collect 60 assists for a monster 101 point season. That point total was best in the league by 30, which led to him winning the Brett Hull Trophy as the league’s top scorer. He would also take home the Bob Fenton Trophy (Most Sportsmanlike) and the Vern Dye Memorial Trophy as the Regular Season MVP of the BCHL.

He will clearly be a prospect that teams will be taking a hard look at as the draft approaches due to his very positive first venture into the NCAA. Johnson is listed as a centre, but for a majority of this past season he played LW for Michigan and the Flames could use either position in their stable of young players. Now the question remains: will he still be around when the Flames are picking at #12?

(Stats from HockeyDB)