ECHL: Reading Royals: A Talk With Kenny Johnson

The off-season is a busy time for all teams in every league, and for the players as well. Inside The Rink currently sat down with newly re-signed Reading Royals Defenseman Kenny Johnson last week to talk about his relationship with his brother, college, and more!

Game Implementation

Johnson spent four years at Penn State University. He dressed in 40 games and tallied one goal and four assists in the span of those 40 games. What he learned playing at Penn State, was valuable to his game now.

“I would say that Penn State plays a speedy game because it can play a fast game. Moving the puck up the ice as opposed to slowing it down. So making that jump to the next level in pros, there’s a step of speed that you have to go up. I kind of felt like that gap wasn’t as big because I was playing at a fast pace at Penn State.”

College and Beyond

The relationships that players build in juniors and college will serve them well in their professional playing years. Johnson has current teammates he played with in his high school and college days.

“They’re my best friends, my classmates, my teammates. I talk to them all the time. I’ve known McMenamin since high school. We went to the same high school and ended up going to college together so it’s kind of funny how we keep going down the same path and same teams. [Tyler] Gratton, [Jacques] Bouquot, it’s cool. Your best friends are on the team. It’s good and bad, they know you. They come in and bring in some of the old jokes but that’s just how we work.”

Brotherly Love and Championships

Johnson is the younger brother of Colorado Avalanche Defenseman Jack Johnson. Having an older brother who has paved the way with experience has served Johnson well in his development.

“He’s given me advice on hockey since I started playing hockey. My first skate was with him and my dad. So when it comes to giving me advice, it’s as much as anyone would expect, if not more. There are a lot of people who say we skate the same and have the same mannerisms. We look the same out there, obviously he’s in the NHL and a lot better but I am working my way. He’s helping a lot of things when it comes to off-ice training and the thinking of the game. We are doing certain moves and plays and he is helping out a lot. So I have to thank him for a chunk of my development.”

Johnson had the honor of attending Game Five and Game Six to witness his brother win the Stanley Cup in 2022 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“It’s surreal, I wish I was the one winning it but I’ll be honest when we went to Colorado they were supposed to win that game five and they ended up losing. It halted the celebration. We flew out to Florida and it was the first time 60 minutes of the hockey game flew by. It was the fastest thing ever. It was also the longest two minutes I have ever been a part of. I’ve luckily been a part of a lot of big games in my brother’s career. He was in the Olympics in 2010, the gold medal game. So that was kind of the same feeling of intensity as a fan watching in the stands. When the game was going on and the clock was counting down, I felt like I was gonna win the cup, I was that into it. When they start celebrating, it’s just cool to watch.

Rookie Year

Rookie years always prove to be interesting for most players. Johnson received a valuable piece of advice from a former teammate that has stuck with him.

“Rookie year I was given the best heads-up going into the pros of just ride the wave, take the punches. I ended up starting in Orlando and I was excited. I thought I was proving something and things happen. I got sent home at the end of camp and there was one player, Tyler Bird, who gave me a text as I was in the car, leaving the state of Florida. Just saying “Keep your head up, this happens to every rookie. I thought you had a great camp. Be prepared to be on two or three teams in your first year. Don’t expect the team to call tomorrow or the next day. Just stick with it and you’ll land in a spot when it’s your fit.” Getting a text from a guy that you have known for 20 days to say that it meant a lot. He hit the nail on the head and was spot on. I ended up going to my third team and it took a couple of weeks. A little longer than I wanted but I ended up going to Reading and got a chance. I was told to plan on playing two games and I ended up playing the whole year. I kept beating guys out and proving myself, so I’m excited to come back and keep building on that.”

Summer Training

Off-season training is the most important key for players to keep in game shape when the season rolls around. Johnson touches on what he does for his summer training now that he is playing professionally.

“It seems to be changing a lot more in the past couple of summers than when I was younger. When you’re younger in high school and juniors, you go home for the summer, you have your gym, get a summer job, and skate and work out. It’s pretty simple. Now that I’m out of college and whatnot, I’ve had to change how I work out. The season is longer. It’s a different game. You know when you’re younger, you’re trying to put on weight, as opposed to maintaining and mobility. So I’m in the middle of learning that. I’ve done a year, I know what to expect. I’m at Penn State and I live with my girlfriend, she’s doing grad school here, so I can go to the rink and skate and work out with some of the alumni that come back. Some guys are in the coast, and some guys are in the AHL. It’s nice to have the facilities here and you know the coaches who are kind enough to let us come back and they want us back so it’s cool to skate with the current team. Meet the freshmen and see the talent coming in.”

Setting An Example

Some players have former players they look up to, and some are just themselves and make their game unique. Johnson touches on who he looks to as an example for the game.

“Jeff Petry is an NHLer and a defenseman. He was tall, not lanky, but he was a big guy. So learning his style is cool. Drew Doughty, is one of the best players in the NHL, it’s cool to watch him. I was lucky and blessed enough to meet all of my brother’s teammates when I was young. So like Kopitar, his family, him, his brother, they were super kind to me. So I would go to the game and I would wanna watch him as opposed to watching my brother. As I got older, I’d say Subban was exciting, Shea Weber is probably a player that I kind of try to play like. He’s not gonna rush it end to end, but he’s solid. He’s physical.”

Game Mindset

Getting inside the mind of a player can be difficult. Sometimes they are completely different players on the ice than they are off the ice. Johnson spoke about what his mindset is on the bench and in the locker room.

“So on the bench is kind of the same as in the locker room. Being a rookie, I kind of know my role, at least I think I do. Be quiet, let the older guys talk. So in the locker room, I stick with my routine. I stay quiet, I’ll chat. I don’t like to sit there in silence unless I’m really mad and I think I’m playing poorly. I can think of one game in particular where I was a different person in the locker room. When I’m on the ice, as soon as my blades touch the ice, I have 45 seconds to play as hard, as intense, and as serious as I can. Whether it’s I’m going out there and I know I need to block shots if we are winning or losing. I’m watching the clock. I’m trying to go over all the stuff in my mind that I have been taught and ingrained in my body over the years. On the bench, it’s my time to take a breath and watch the game. I can’t impact it from the bench.”

Accomplishments

The accomplishments we as humans make in life, all contribute to making us who we are down the path of life. Graduating college and creating goals for after college are all on that path for Johnson.

“If it’s outside of hockey, graduating and making it to Penn State and my hockey path and life path took me places that I didn’t think I was ever gonna end up. Growing up in Michigan, I never heard the name Penn State. There’s too much going around with Michigan and Ohio State in our schools but getting to go to Penn State and learning to embrace it and wanting to come back to this city and town every year. I grew here. Growing as a person through college, getting that degree, learning what I like, how I live, and what I wanna do. My goals after hockey have changed, I’ve started to narrow down the things I like, and things I’m not interested in. That was probably my biggest accomplishment, getting through college.”

What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up

Having a plan for after college, or even after hockey ends, can be a trying time. Johnson knows exactly what he wants to do and has a path he would like to follow.

“I would hope to say I’d have been playing football, especially at the college level. I always wanted to play, it’s always been my favorite sport other than hockey. Outside of sports, I think being in the police force, FBI, or CIA, one of the agencies would be one of the coolest jobs. Branching off of that, I had an internship in DC and worked for a congressman for a year in college. So anything in the political world involving the United States Government, either protecting it or helping it. That’s the future path I wanna go down.”

Custom 3-on-3 Overtime

Going into overtime is a situation every player and team faces during the season. Having that solid 3-on-3 overtime lineup is crucial to winning the game in extra time.

“I’m adding myself. I don’t know why I wouldn’t. I don’t know why you wouldn’t add Makar. I think he is one of the best players in the world right now. I’ll throw a curveball, Henrik Zetterberg. That’s a curveball that people probably wouldn’t expect to see. That’s a good line, I know we are scoring for sure.”