Q&A with Aaron Johnson

The Syracuse Crunch, as an organization, has made a strong effort to present themselves in a very professional manner, both on and off the ice, which has instilled a down-to-earth, hard working attitude in their players. This is not more evident than in defenseman Aaron Johnson.

 

Johnson, who began his career with the Crunch this season, has had only had five months to be shaped in the Crunch mold. Pride, modesty and a level head are all characteristics that were instilled before he arrived in Syracuse.

 

Johnson began his journey to professional hockey through the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Rimouski Oceanic in 1999-2000, after being selected ninth overall in the Midget Draft. In 220 games played for Rimouski, he recorded 34 goals and 158 points. Johnson experienced the business aspect of hockey in his last season of Major Junior, when he was dealt from Rimouski after one Memorial Cup championship and three and a half seasons, to finish his junior career with the Quebec Remparts.

 

It was with Rimouski that Johnson posted totals of 12 goals and 53 points during 2000-2001, his draft season. Seeing a strong combination of talent and determination, he was selected 85^th overall in the 2001 National Hockey League Entry Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

 

After signing his first professional contract in the spring of 2003, Johnson has quickly and quietly made a huge impact on the Syracuse Crunch. An offensive defenseman, he has registered 19 points (5 goals, 14 assists) in just 38 games, a point-per-game pace and ahead of any other regular blueliner on the team. His achievements have not gone unnoticed around the league. Johnson was named, as a rookie, to the American Hockey League’s mid-season spectacular, the 2004 Pepsi AHL All-Star Classic, taking place at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan on February 8th and 9th.

 

Aaron Johnson took the time to talk to Hockey’s Future before heading out on a road trip. Speaking candidly, he addressed topics ranging from his minor hockey days, to disappointments from Canadian Junior camps, to his season with the Syracuse Crunch.

 

HF: You grew up in Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia. Did you play your minor hockey in your hometown?

AJ: Yes, I played all the way up until Midget AAA. Eventually I grew up to play my Midget AAA for Cape Breton West.

 

HF: Growing up, what was it that led you to the sport of hockey, as opposed to picking up a sport such as basketball or baseball?

AJ: I played all those sports. Growing up, my hometown was a small town, so pretty much all the guys played every sport. When it came to hockey, it was something I enjoyed more than all the other sports and as I grew older I ended up playing in the summer, and it became a big part of my life. Now I enjoy playing so much I’ve made it my job now.

 

HF: In terms of your hockey, what kind of impact did your parents have growing up, and supporting you in your hockey?

AJ: They had a huge impact. I have two older brothers and they both played hockey as well so they kind of lead my parents through the ropes and we’ve very much become a hockey family. They’ve been through so much and they’ve always been behind me no matter what. With that attitude from them, you can’t lose. They’re always behind you, and it’s a lot easier to go out on the ice and enjoy that.

 

HF: Is there any coach or coaches in particular that stands out in your mind that may have contributed to turning you into the player you are today?

AJ: I can’t really specify. I mean, growing up I had so many different coaches. Every guy, every coach I had I’ve learned something unique from. They’ve all been great to me and all of them have helped me get to where I am so far. I can’t say one coach because I’ve been fortunate enough to have several, to have quite a few great coaches.

 

HF: Was there ever any consideration towards taking the college route and going to school, getting an education, as opposed to playing Major Junior?

AJ: My brother grew up and played in the Ontario Hockey League, actually played in all three leagues, but ended up in the OHL in Kingston and he said he enjoyed that a lot better than the college route. He said that he found that some players he had played with that junior was the best route if you wanted to build a hockey career. That helped my decision. I thought that this would be the best way, and it turned out fine.

 

HF: You were selected ninth overall by Rimouski in the 1999 Midget Draft. You were also named ‘Defenseman of the Year’ with Cape Breton West and named to the Nova Scotia Elite. Did these accolades put any pressure on you to perform immediately when you joined the Oceanic?

AJ: Not necessarily. You can’t think too much of it to be honest. You’ve just got to go out there and play hockey. It’s a great experience going through the process of being drafted, and quite the experience being drafted in the first round. I just took out the most I could from it, but I didn’t try to put any added pressure on myself. You kind of have to just go out there and play your game, because that’s what got you there, and that’s what will make you a good hockey player.

 

HF: What would you consider to be your more important lessons learned in junior?

AJ: In lessons, I think always working. You have to work on and off the ice. I had a coach, Donald Dufresne, who had played in the NHL, in my first year with Rimouski and he really took me under his wing and helped me off the ice, and with conditioning, and showing me little tricks here and there. When you’re on the ice you have to work 110 percent and even off the ice doing the little things too that will help you on the ice.

 

HF: Was it a challenge to balance your on-ice life with your off-ice life, with school playing a factor as well when you weren’t playing hockey?

AJ: Definitely. It was a little harder for me and other guys that go to Quebec to play because we can’t go to the English schools or the French schools like others. We have to take our lessons by correspondence. It was a little tough. It was really hard to stay motivated to go home and do a little bit of work every day, not having a teacher there to say ‘do this, do that’. I managed, I had a lot of help from my guidance councillors back home in Port Hawkesbury that helped me. If I ever needed anything I’d call.

 

HF: Did you ever feel alienated at all playing hockey in a predominantly French league?

AJ: At the beginning it was a little different living with a French family and in a French culture, but I was fortunately enough to be put in French-immersion growing up by my parents so that had helped me a lot when I moved to Rimouski. I say it a lot that hockey players are all the same, but despite the language barrier, it’s very easy to talk hockey and communicate out on the ice.

 

HF: Midway through the last season of your junior career, you were moved from Rimouski to the Quebec Remparts. Was that just a taste of the business aspect of hockey come early?

AJ: Yeah, I mean being traded is always a business. It’s different for me because I played my entire career with Rimouski, for three and a half years, and had all my friends there. It was a little different to go to a new team and finish my career there, but I had the Memorial Cup there. It helped a lot. I got to meet new friends, and I got to see the business side of how hockey works, and I think it was a good experience for me because who knows in the American Hockey League. You can get traded at any time. It’s good to have that background behind me and get a feel for it so when it does happen it won’t shock me.

 

HF: You attended the Canadian Junior Selection Camp your last two seasons in junior, only to fall short on both occasions, being a part of the last round of cuts. Was it difficult getting that far and knowing that you weren’t part of Team Canada afterwards after competing for a spot and competing well?

AJ: Absolutely. It’s always tough when you’re cut from a team but what I did was I took the positives out of being selected among the group of forty players who were competing for a spot on that team. It’s a great compliment in itself and I always try to take the positive out of those things when they do happen. It was tough, two years in a row to be cut, but I continued working and it just meant that I had to continue to work hard and develop my game further. Hopefully one day I will be a part of a special team like that.

 

HF: Did you consider being cut from the team as a means of motivation for yourself, returning from the camp to your junior team?

AJ: Yeah, definitely. You want to go out there and prove to yourself and prove to the team that you’re a good hockey player. That was definitely motivation, but on the flip side you try not to think about that too much. You just have to go out and play your game and enjoy what you’re doing.

 

HF: You won the Memorial Cup in your first season with Rimouski, and your last season with Quebec, you were there again. Was it bittersweet, knowing what it takes to be successful in the tournament, but falling short to Hull in the semi-finals?

AJ: It was great to have that glory the first year, and to be playing with a guy like [Brad] Richards in my first year. I took that experience and I learned a lot from it and I tried to do the best I could and the best the team could as a whole. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough but any experience like that builds a hockey player, with the three best teams in the league and the host. It’s just a great atmosphere to be in, and every player benefits from being there.

 

HF: Would you consider your second Memorial Cup, which you weren’t as successful in, as a bigger learning experience than your first, which you won, or would it be the other way around?

AJ: I think the first one, just because I was younger and I didn’t know what to expect. I learned so much from that first year because you’re playing at such an elite hockey level. The first one was a bigger experience from more of a developing and learning stage. My second one was more of a ‘go out and do my job’ role. I was more of a part of a team with Quebec, then as a 16-year-old with Rimouski, and having such great players.

 

HF: Arguably the defining moment of your career has to be centered around the 2001 National Hockey League Entry Draft, where you were selected 85^th overall, Columbus’ fourth selection in that draft. Did you attend the draft?

AJ: I attended the draft. I made the trip down to Sunrise, Florida.

 

HF: A little bit different weather then what you’re used to right now in Syracuse, I’d imagine.

AJ: It was tough, it was a tough trip, but I figured I’d better make the journey to Florida!

 

HF: Did you have any reaction when you heard your name called? Was it a sense of eagerness, or maybe even a sense of relief?

AJ: It was total relief. When you go to these things, there’s always a little bit of anxiety involved not being chosen that day, or in that draft. Relief would be the biggest thing. Next would be the sense of belonging to a club, and have the club motivate you. Now you have a symbol in your head to motivate you wherever you are; to have a team like that. It helps you so much on and off the ice.

 

HF: Any reaction in particular when it was Columbus that had selected you, as opposed to a team closer to home with a little more history?

AJ: At that time, I wouldn’t have cared who it was. I was just worried about making it to the next level. It wasn’t even the next level entirely. It had more to do with motivation and to be a member of that organization. Columbus was a new team at that time and it was great for me because they didn’t have too many players in the organization at the time. It’s worked out great so far.

 

HF: You’ve attended a few of the Columbus Blue Jacket training camps by now. What were some of your first experiences there, and what did you take from it?

AJ: My first camp was a rookie camp, and we had gone to Michigan for a tournament hosted by Detroit. We played four or five exhibition games in the tournament style, and that was something else for my first NHL rookie camp. To play with those kind of players, future NHL players, I learned a lot. It was tough to get to the speed of everything, but I took that home, worked on it, and I think it helped me adapt.

 

HF: Obviously that must’ve been somewhat of an eye opener, to see first hand what exactly you’re going to have to do to take your game to the next level. What was running through your mind stepping on the ice for the first time with members of the Columbus Blue Jackets?

AJ: I was definitely wide-eyed. The players you see on the NHL Network, on Sportsdesk all the time. It was definitely new, you could say at the time for me. You get used to it real quick. There wasn’t a lot of time to stand around and watch. Everyone out there was a hockey player, and everyone was the same out there. You just had to go out there and play your game and not worry so much who was on the ice with you.

 

HF: The first time you stepped on the ice, did you ever wonder what you were getting yourself into by attending the camp?

AJ: Well, you think ‘What do I do now?’ You just can’t think too hard about who you’re playing against. You start worrying a bit, worry about your style and your game, and I think everything else will fall into place.

 

HF: ayour first professional contract was signed last offseason. What was running through your mind when Columbus pitched an offer, and your agent relayed it to you, and subsequently reaching an agreement?

AJ: Once I heard the offer, it was kind of a relief. It’s all you think about when you’re first getting yourself into the process of signing your first contract. A lot of guys aren’t given that offer and I was fortunate. I think both Columbus and myself were happy with the way things worked out.

 

HF: In your first professional season in the AHL this year, what has been your biggest adjustment in making the jump from Major Junior to the professional ranks?

AJ: I think the style is something that changes and you have to get used to. You’re not playing against 16, 17, 18-year-olds anymore. That was probably my biggest adjustment. It was a little tough. Put in those positions, it just makes you a better hockey player when you’re playing with better players.

 

HF: How have you been able to adapt to the pace of the game? Obviously with older players, your competition has been bigger, faster and stronger. How do you feel you’ve made that adjustment so far?

AJ: I think I’ve done okay. Obviously there’s a lot more to accomplish. I’d like to be better in my defensive zone, and work offensively as an offensive defenseman. If I want to take my game to the next level I’ll have to continue to work hard. I felt I’ve done okay, but there’s definitely room for improvement.

 

HF: How have you handled living on your own, and not have to focus on school so much?

AJ: That’s a little different. There’s not someone hanging off your shoulder telling you what time to be in and what you should be doing. Living on your own is definitely a huge adjustment to make. Cooking, getting to bed on time are things I’ve had to handle on my own. I was taught a good routine in Rimouski and Quebec. They disciplined me well, and I haven’t burned down the apartment yet.

 

HF: How much have your teammates been able to help you out with your off-ice adjustments?

AJ: Obviously they help me out a lot. When I first got here, I met Todd Rohloff. He helped me out a lot and took me under his wing. He and guys like Anders Eriksson and Jamie Pushor, NHL veterans, definitely help you on and off the ice. It’s little things that have worked for them that they are passing on and it seems to have worked for me so far.

 

HF: What’s it like when guys that have helped you come so far leave the organization, whether it be Rohloff claimed off waivers by Washington or Pushor dealt to the New York Rangers? What kind of impact does that have on you?

AJ: It’s tough as a young guy. As a young guy you get to see how the business works and revolves around you. Those are two guys I would’ve expected to have all year and the two guys I’ve played with too. Both guys are now in the NHL with different organizations. It’s just a little taste of how things work. It’s tough seeing them go, but at the same time you get to meet new people as well and play with different players, and it’s good to get that development.

 

HF: Has anyone stepped up and become vocal about being your next defensive partner, knowing that your last two are currently holding down regular jobs at the NHL level? Has anyone begun to think that you are his meal ticket to the NHL?

AJ: I don’t think they’re thinking that! Rohloff and Pushor had enough talent that they didn’t ride me to get where they are!

 

HF: Your play with Syracuse this season has been excellent. As a rookie you’ve been named to the All-Star game. Your season has been impressive to say the least. What are you crediting your success so far this year in the American Hockey League?

AJ: Players beside me. I was fortunate enough to play with great defensemen beside me, as well as teammates in front of me. Obviously the coaching staff has given me a great opportunity this year and has shown a lot of faith in me. I’ve been played in a lot of different situations, and I’ve benefited from this. I’ve been given a great chance, and I credit them for it. Hopefully I can just keep working and continue to play well.

 

HF: You’ve been shuttled between Syracuse and Columbus on a couple of different occasions. What was it like dressing for your first National Hockey League game and your first shift? Is it an experience that can even be put into words?

AJ: I don’t know if it is possible to put into words. It’s something that I’ve dreamt about for twenty years now. Just to get on the ice was a dream of mine. I tried not to put too much pressure on myself, and go out there and enjoy the time I was up there. I tried to do the little things, but still just go out there, and that’s all Columbus had asked me to do. I think it went well. I was definitely nervous at the beginning but after you get settled in on the ice, it’s just like playing anywhere else.

 

HF: Columbus has a habit of recalling their younger players from Syracuse, whether it be yourself, or Tim Jackman, only to let them watch the game from the press box. Is that something that you find difficult, to be called up but not dress?

AJ: I think that’s good, as an organization, to give the young guys a chance, a taste. I think that’s going to help them in a long run. I’m fortunate to be in an organization like that, an organization that has room. I think it’ll benefit the organization in the long run and keep players motivated.

 

HF: Columbus has lost a lot of depth on defense in recent weeks, with the departure of Jamie Pushor to the Rangers, Todd Rohloff to the Washington Capitals, and now Darryl Sydor to the Tampa Bay Lightning. With these transactions in mind, where do you feel you fit in to the scheme of things in Columbus, both short-term and long?

AJ: Hopefully I can be a long-term player with the Columbus Blue Jackets. I’ve really enjoyed being a part of their organization the last three years. I’ve come to feel like part of a family. All the guys I’m getting to know more, and spent time with them in the summer. You almost become part of a family, and hopefully in the future I can become a full-time member of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

 

HF: Who would you say has been the biggest influence on you since you’ve turned pro? Has it been a player like Rohloff or Pushor, who you’ve previously mentioned, or perhaps a member of the coaching staff?

AJ: I’d have to say players like Rohloff and Pushor. They’ve always helped me out and taken me under their wing. They’ve always given me a chance to go out and learn, and if I ever had any questions, they let me know not to hesitate to ask, and they’d answer them. Guys like that really help out a young player like myself. How else does one learn the ropes, as a rookie?

 

HF: How would you describe your style of play for those who haven’t seen you step on the ice?

AJ: I guess right now I’m known more as an offensive defensemen then anything else. Right now I’m trying to develop the defensive side of my game as well. I’m a guy that tries to create offensive opportunities, and if I get a chance to jump in the play for sure I will. I’m trying not to be a high-risk defenseman and hopefully I’ll continue to develop at both ends of the ice.

 

HF: Is there anyone in particular you’ve tried to model your play after?

AJ: No, not really. I don’t try to model after anyone. I watch a lot of hockey, and I watch every defenseman play. If there’s anything they do better, or any tricks they have, I try to pick up on that. I don’t try to pick off one player; I want to learn from everyone.

 

HF: In which facet of the game do you feel you’ve made your biggest improvement on this season?

AJ: That is hard to say. It’s tough because you don’t really know what you’ve developed the most. I think I’ve improved myself in the defensive zone. I’ve never been more comfortable in my defensive end as I am now.

 

HF: What would you consider some of your strengths on the ice?

AJ: I would hope to think that making the first pass and making the simple plays would be two. I try to make that a part of my game. If you can make the simple play you can get the puck out of your end and hopefully create some offensive opportunities there.

 

HF: What are the areas of the game you are looking to improve?

AJ: Pretty much every area of my game can improve. I don’t think I could say just one area needs improvement, when everything as a whole can get better. I think I’ve got a lot to learn and a lot to develop. I think being a complete defenseman at both ends with and without the puck. I’ve got to take care of business. I’ve got a lot to learn before I can call myself an excellent defenseman.

 

HF: Looking back through your entire career, whether it be your stint in the NHL, your AHL season, your career in Major Junior, or even at the Midget level, what would you consider to be your biggest accomplishment so far?

AJ: It’s hard to say. Definitely being chosen to the All-Star game this year was something I never would’ve imagined back in training camp in September. Looking back at junior, winning the Memorial Cup was quite a feat. I was fortunate enough to have a lot of success in junior. Right now, though, something like the AHL All-Star game feels good. It is something that I’ve worked hard towards and feel I’ve earned. Being chosen now feels good. It wasn’t a focus of mine while on the ice, but I do feel I’ve earned the opportunity.

 

HF: What would you consider to be some of your larger letdowns, or disappointments, as well?

AJ: Obviously not being a part of Team Canada for the World Junior Championships. Also, last season, coming up short and not being able to play in the Memorial Cup game. These are both disappointing, but definitely learning experiences and have helped me become a better hockey player.

 

HF: How do you think others describe your style of play, as opposed to what you see in yourself.

AJ: That’s tricky, because you don’t see in yourself anything other than what you see in the mirror. I mean, hopefully just a pretty good defenseman that is tough to play against. That’s what I’d like to be. I don’t think I’d like to be categorized just by one thing.

 

HF: How would some of your teammates describe your personality?

AJ: I’m fairly easy going. I just try to enjoy every day. I think that there are a lot worse situations to be in, than playing hockey as a career. I try not to take things for granted and try to enjoy every day as it comes.