Johnson’s skating ability helped set him apart from a majority of defenders here at this camp and also made him one of its better transitional defenders. On defensive zone retrievals he was able to corral pucks below the goal line on both his forehand and backhand while using a series of powerful crossovers to gains separation from forecheckers and initiate an exit with either his feet or an outlet pass. Off-puck Johnson demonstrated the confidence to jump into the rush from time to time, either pushing back defenders by driving the net or catching a pass in stride in the neutral zone and driving wide looking to gain a step. I thought where Johnson was at his most exciting was atop the offensive blueline with the puck on his stick. There he could leverage his high-end edgework along with some manipulation tactics to toy with opposing checkers, using a series of fakes to beat them and attack downhill or pull pucks to the middle of the ice with his head up and look to get a shot through from the point.

Sioux Falls did a great job this weekend getting contributions from all over the ice, and Easton Johnson was an example of that. From the point I thought Johnson did a nice job getting involved offensively when he could with a nice shot. He read the front of the net well and used screens to his advantage and would take the space given to him to really step into his shots. He showed some nice vision all over the ice too, alleviating pressure from his own end with some puck movement, as well as in the offensive zone he was able to find some openings to hit his teammates. I thought he did some good work on defense and kept the play to the outside well by steering them away with his stick before pinning them up against the boards. His board play was solid and he used his stick well in battles to dislodge the puck from the carrier and come out with the puck.

I thought Johnson was much better in this game compared to my previous viewing shoring up some of his lackadaisical moments and letting his ruthless efficiency and precision take centre stage. When he is on, his level of execution stands out. He carries the puck with his head up, scanning early and hitting teammates in stride for zone exits. His smooth skating stride allows him to fill space quickly and he plays with an athletic posture at the blue line. He isn’t an electric offensive threat but consistently finds seams and has precise puck movement through traffic. He defends with smarts and body control, using smart stick checks to win battles cleanly and kickstart the counterattack. He isn’t the most physical defender but when his focus and compete levels are on point, he is still disruptive with his proactivity.

The 2009 born blueliner playing up a division certainly made his mark in this game at both ends of the ice. The first thing that sticks out about Easton is his effortless skating ability, moving up ice as if he is floating. His agility and footwork at the offensive blue line was key in opening up space both on and off puck. He scored a highlight reel goal on Sioux’ second goal, gaining possession off the draw before weaving through the opposition into the OZ and firing one from the faceoff circle as he was falling backwards. His skating led to Johnson being a main transition option, whether passing off or skating up ice himself, he was always a threat on the counter. He always found a way to funnel pucks to the goal from the point with his lateral movement, as shown on his assist on the game winner with his forward getting a deflection in front. His willingness to activate off puck in the offensive zone also led to some key moments for his team.

Johnson was another big part of the defensive corps for Sioux Falls. He was everywhere on the ice for his team. He was exceptional in his own end, stepping up at the blue line to disrupt zone entries and winning battles in front of the net and along the boards. His defensive play was key in holding the opposing offense to just one goal. On one play, he was the only man back on a two-on-one. He faked going down, then made a perfect poke check, turning the play around instantly where Sioux Falls was able to score right after. He was also great getting plays going the other way, his skating allowed for him to create space for himself and make a great pass up the ice to get offensive zone time going. His shots from the point always found a way to get to the net and his downhill passing from the point was superb.

Johnson’s effectiveness in transition and ability to leverage his skating to make a positive impact in all three zones made him one of this game’s more efficient players. He was playing with pace and executing quickly on his outlet passes, allowing his team to play with tempo off the rush. On defensive zone retrievals he was showing good touch on his backhand to avoid any bobbles and using a series of powerful crossovers to pull away from forecheckers with ease, leading to controlled exits. He wasn’t afraid to spin away from pressure in the neutral zone to regroup and assess his options further as a puck carrier when the area he was skating towards seemed too congested, which allowed him to get the puck up the ice into open areas more often than not. From the offensive blueline he consistently kept his head up, walked the line and would attack downhill if the space was provided to him.

Early on in the game Johnson was playing a huge part in his team’s success, most notably in transition. He was showing off his puck skills in the defensive zone by making quick moves around forecheckers before making strong outlet passes to exit the zone. I thought he was anticipating pressure quite well on his retrievals, scanning over both shoulders and using his edgework to spin away quickly from forecheckers. His best work came from the offensive blueline, where he was leveraging his skill and skating ability to toy with opposing forwards up top, shake them off with a few fakes and get himself down low in the offensive zone.

The thing that stands out about Johnson is how well he leverages his skating ability to make an impact all over the ice. He was very difficult to contain with the puck on his stick at the offensive blueline by consistently pulling the puck to the middle of the ice to expand his options while performing a series of shimmy’s and shakes to shake checkers at the line. He showed off his speed in transition as well when he activated off the rush, maintained his speed upon reception in the neutral zone and blew by a defender to earn himself a chance in tight.

A simple but effective game from Easton Johnson in this one, showing off some decent flash on the powerplay when moving around the puck. Quick feet, hands, and hockey mind when possessing the puck high in the zone, he can walk the blueline effectively, opening up passing and shooting lanes for himself. Snapping the puck off quickly to teammates low in the zone, his puck movement of high-to-low is effective and gets defenders spread out fairly well. He had a few moments in transition when he was able to open his stride, skating in a linear motion he flashed a pretty rangy and powerful forward stride that I’m sure will be an asset of his going forward.