He was the kid on the playground at recess who wasn't picked for the game. When the 2011 NHL draft at the Xcel Energy Center concluded, Tyler Johnson was ignored by all of the choosers—211 times.
He was a good player in junior hockey for the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League—OK, the scouts said. But at 5'8", 175 pounds soaking wet, Johnson was considered too small to play in the NHL.
So Johnson, a native of Spokane, Washington, signed on with the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League in 2011. The next season he showed well enough with the Lightning's Syracuse Crunch, who'd become the team's AHL affiliate, to get a 14-game call-up stint with Tampa Bay. Johnson made the big club out of training camp the following campaign, 2013-14.
His 24 goals and 26 assists in 82 games were good enough for Johnson to be named a finalist for the Calder Trophy, which went to Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon.
Thursday night at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Johnson scored two goals, including the overtime winner on Petr Mrazek, to give the Lightning a 3-2 win in Game ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Adrian Dater
Ultimate Underdog Tyler Johnson Lifting Lightning in Round 1 vs. Red Wings
April 23rd, 2015 by Adrian Dater Leave a reply »
Advertisement