November 20, 2009
By Becky Olsen
Special to USAHockey.com
Sometimes it takes just one experience to have a life-changing meaning or further clarification about what life really means. National Team Development Program Under-18 defenseman Stephen Johns understands this and is making the most of his experiences with the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based team.
Johns chalked up 16 points (5 goals 11 assists) in 47 games for the U-17s last season. Of his 16 points, eight (2-6) came during international competition.
“It was pretty rough last year. I made some poor decisions and didn’t use my head very much. I have put that behind me and have learned from my mistakes. I try to think positive every day and never want to do that again,” the 6-foot-3, 215-pound blueliner said.
 | Stephen Johns has excelled on the U-18 blue line. |
The Wampum, Pa., native is on a mission this season to show why he is one of the most coveted defensemen in the country and is currently ranked third in the NHL Central Scouting 2010 draft preliminary rankings. He has appeared in all 20 games, posting six points (1 goal, 5 assists).
“Stephen has size and that is still important in today’s game,” U-18 coach Kurt Kleinendorst. “He has nice skills that jump right out at you. He skates and handles the puck well and he is intelligent. He does a lot of things well. He just needs to learn to be a little more patient without the puck, learning to be in the right position and not forcing the play. We work on it in with him and he listens to try and master it.”
Johns started skating when he was 4 and began playing competitively when he was in kindergarten. For the record, he has been a defenseman his entire career.
“My older brother and cousin played and I kind of wanted to follow them so I just picked it up,” Johns said of his decision to play hockey. “I was always a bigger kid and not that fast when I was younger, so I figured D was the place to be. The physical aspect of the game, how you need to be so detailed about everything and how one mistake can lead to goal. Everything is on your shoulders pretty much when you play defense.”
The transition to the NTDP has been an interesting experience for Johns. He has gotten stronger in the weight room, become a better skater and improved his shot. Plus, the move to the NTDP offers another reward and challenge for Johns and his teammates, including the team’s move to the USHL this season.
“Everything is covered here,” Johns said. “You have to be on your game more. Everything is faster. You have to learn how to adapt and adjust to a new situation and get better every day. The skill level is completely different. We have some of the best players in the country and maybe in the world playing against us every day so it is a big step. It is a more skilled league — the guys are stronger and more mature.”
For Johns, who has committed to play hockey at the University of Notre Dame next year, there is just one word to describe his USA Hockey experience — unforgettable.
“There are things you want to forget and things you definitely want to keep for the rest of your life. You face adversity every day and it just makes you more mature and helps you realize how lucky you are to be in this elite group. If you really want to push yourself, you can. We have the greatest coaches, strength & conditioning coaches and skating coaches. It is all here for us — it is just what we have to do for it,” Johns said.
For any NTDP player, the one thing that will forever stand out is the first time he walks into the USA locker room and sees the jerseys hanging in the stalls.
“The first time I saw it we were in Blaine, Minn., [for the NAHL Showcase] and I walked into the locker room and saw the jerseys up, it kind of took my breath. The first time I put my jersey on, I got the chills for sure,” Johns said.
Despite all the trials and tribulations that Johns has gone through, nothing can compare to what his brother and role model, Raymond, deals with on a daily basis. Raymond is currently enrolled at Robert Morris University.
“He was 13 when he was diagnosed with arthritis in his hip and it didn’t slow him down at all,” Johns said. “He continued to be one of the best golfers in the league and area. He was No. 1 on the golf team. It showed that he preserved through everything and could still be a great athlete even though he had to quit hockey.”
Lessons learned and not forgotten will be one of the things that can carry Johns through, not matter what his situation is in his life.
“You represent family, friends, and everything in your life — your coaches, your school. Anything you are involved with you represent. Just to put that logo on is the greatest feeling in the world,” Johns said.
Story courtesy of Red Line Editorial, Inc. |