Columbus Blue Jackets decide to keep Ryan Johansen in major league -NHL News Update
The Columbus Blue Jackets have decided to keep their top 2010 National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft pick, Ryan Johansen, after the 10-game limit to reach a decision was reached after the 2011-2012 regular season kicked off.
Columbus general manager, Scott Howson, made the announcement about the rookie player, terming it that he has earned his spot on the team due to the performance he had shown last season and the way he is playing right now.
“I think he can help us win some games”, Howson said. “He shown he certainly can contribute at this level. He hasn’t done it with consistency yet, but that’s not uncommon for a player at his age”.
The 19-year-old centre was drafted as the fourth overall pick during the 2010 draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets and did not play a single game last season. He continued to play with his minor league team, the Portland Winter Hawks, in the Western Hockey
League (WHL), making his total time there equal to two seasons.
So far, the Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada native, has played his first nine games in the major league with Columbus and boasts a record of four points (2 goals, 2 assists) with a plus-minus rating of one and two minutes in penalty time.
After learning about the decision, Johansen was certainly thrilled but wishes to keep working on improving more and more each day.
“I felt I’ve played more comfortable and confident on wing”, Johansen said. “But they want to me keep improving. One bit thing is that I still want to be stronger. It will make things that much easier on the ice”.
Talent is something the young forward has, which his teammates certainly do not disagree about.
“He’s got that raw talent”, said Matt Calvert, Johansen’s new line mate. “And he worked his butt off the last game”.
With his abilities and quick playing characteristics, Columbus just hopes that they will be moving up in the Western Conference soon. The Blue Jackets at the moment, have the worst record in the league with 2-9-1 and stand last with five points in total.
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