Luke Johnson

History

2010-11: Luke Johnson played for Grand Forks High School in North Dakota, appearing in 25 games for that school. He scored 17 goals and added 25 assists, for 42 points. Johnson also played for Team Great Plains in the Upper Midwest High School Elite Hockey League, scoring 9 goals and 12 assists in for 21 points in 20 games. He also picked up 1 assist in 3 playoff games for Great Plains. Johnson committed to the University of North Dakota starting in 2013-14.

2011-12: Johnson played his first season in the USHL for the Lincoln Stars. In 55 games for that club, Johnson scored 20 goals and added 35 assists for 55 points. In 8 playoff games, he notched 1 goal and 1 assist for 2 points.

2012-13: Johnson competed in his second USHL season for the Lincoln Stars. In 57 games, he scored 19 goals and 27 assists for 46 points. Johnson went scoreless in 5 playoff games. Johnson played for Team USA at the 2012 World Junior A Challenge, picking up 4 assists in 4 games. Johnson also took part in the 2012 All-American Prospects Game, as well as the 2013 USHL Top Propsects Game. He will play for UND starting in the fall of 2013. Johnson was ranked 96th by CSS among North American skaters in the final rankings and was selected by Chicago in the fifth round (134th overall) in the 2013 NHL Draft.

2013-14: Johnson skated in all 42 games for North Dakota in his freshman season. He scored 8 goals with 13 assists and was plus-9 with 26 penalty minutes. Five of his eight goals came on the Fighting Sioux power play. North Dakota finished second to St. Cloud State in the newly-formed National Collegiate Hockey Conference and lost to Miami, 3-0, in the NCHA semifinals; earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Midwest Regional after defeating Western Michigan in the league’s third-place game. The Fighting Sioux defeated Wisconsin and Ferris State to win the regional; falling to Minnesota 2-1 in the Frozen Four semifinals on a goal in the game’s final second.

2014-15: Johnson was one of seven skaters to play in all 42 games for for the University of North Dakota in his sophomore season. Overshadowed by some of the high scoring forwards for the Fighting Sioux, he finished the year with 11 goals and 13 assists and was +9 with 54 penalty minutes on one of the top teams in the country. North Dakota finished first in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference regular season, falling 3-1 to St. Cloud State in the NCHC semifinals and 5-1 to Denver in the third-place game. The Fighting Sioux received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, defeating Quinnipiac and St. Cloud State by identical 4-1 scores to capture the NCAA West Regional before falling 5-3 to Boston University in the Frozen Four semifinals.

Talent Analysis

Johnson is a skilled but hard-nosed center who relishes play in small areas and will go into tough spaces to create chances or retrieve pucks. Playing on a team with high profile scorers like fellow Blackhawks' prospect Nick Schmaltz at North Dakota, Johnson flies under the radar at times but is willing to do the dirty jobs that have led to success for the Fighting SIoux. He is capable at both ends of the ice well and is strong on the face-off dot. With a quick shot and a willingness to drive the slot, Johnson has the potential to score goals. Johnson has steadily improved his consistency — both in terms of engaging physically and and creating scoring chances — at the college level.

Future

Johnson returns to North Dakota for his junior year in 2015-16 and will be one of the upperclassmen upon whom first-year head coach Brad Berry will rely to keep the Fighting Sioux among the top teams in college hockey. In terms of his NHL potential, Johnson's lack of power forward stature and high-end scoring skills could hold him back but his positional play, awareness and work ethic suggest he could have success playing in all situations in a second or third line role.