Next up on our Washington Capitals Draft Grades series is Brent Johnson. In case you missed it, here are our grades for the entire draft class, Vincent Iorio and Dru Krebs.
When the Caps selected Brent Johnson my first thought was wondering if he was related to the former backup goaltender and current TV analyst. On a more serious note, the Caps acquired Johnson despite trading down in the draft with the New York Rangers. Doing this also gained a draft pick for Washington in the sixth round.
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Scott Wheeler of The Athletic (subscription required) had him ranked at 59th compared to Vincent Iorio at 99th on his draft board. Johnson fell into the Caps lap at 80th overall in the third round. He’s a dominant two way defender and had a solid rookie season in the USHL.
The draft prospect rankings on NHL.com also had Johnson ranked higher than Iorio. Iorio was ranked 71st while Johnson was ranked 38th. He is another defensemen with a right handed shot who will be playing at the University of North Dakota this upcoming season.
With Sioux Falls, Johnson scored 11 goals and 32 points in 47 games. His two way game allows him to move the puck more efficiently and can even add firepower to the power play unit. The Dallas native is listed at five foot 11 and 161 pounds. He listed his skating abilities and hockey IQ as his best attributes and says he models his game after Duncan Keith.
"I've been working towards this for a long time now. It was special to have my family here with me. It's something I'll never forget."
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) July 24, 2021
Third-round pick @Johny0374 speaks with the media.#CapsDraft | @Ticketmaster pic.twitter.com/XmV3xV2Blg
The question we were all dying to know was if he was named after Brent Johnson. He told the media when asked by Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic, “I think I was named after him. Kind of funny. It’s pretty cool… That’s the myth. My parents won’t tell me the story.” El-Bashir told Johnson his assignment was to find out by the time he reports for training camp.
Grade A: The Caps got their second draft pick of the afternoon right by taking a player that was ranked higher on the draft boards than the first pick. Anytime you get a steal, the pick deserves a high grade and GMBM aced this selection of Brent Johnson.