Rejuvenated Johnson leading the charge

By Kyle Kujawa –

For Grand Rapids Griffins center Jamie Johnson, coming to the rink every day last year just didn’t have the same appeal that it once did.

“I didn’t have the year I wanted to,” Johnson said. “I thought I worked hard and played well, but I just had a hard time finding the score sheet.”

Johnson was signed to a two-year contract by the Detroit Red Wings on July 1, 2010, who were hoping that they were adding a veteran cornerstone piece for the Griffins offense. He finished the 2010-11 season with 38 points (12-26—38) in 78 games. It was hardly an unproductive season – he was tied for fifth in team scoring – but it was a drop-off from the 71 points (27-44—71) in 80 games he recorded with the Rochester Americans in 2009-10.

“It was a frustrating year, and I didn’t want it to happen again,” he said.

This year, as you watch Johnson fly through drills and joke around during practice, you would assume he’s an entirely different player.

“This season is going a lot better,” Johnson said. “I’m definitely having more fun.”

“Last year, he had a weight on his shoulders – you could see it every game,” said Griffins head coach Curt Fraser. “It was like he was carrying a piano around, and it wasn’t fun.”

Six weeks into the season, Johnson is showing the skill and promise that impressed the Red Wings brass enough to reward him with a two-year deal. He has tallied seven goals and three assists in 14 games for the Griffins, sitting first on the team in goals and third in points.

“Jamie came in this year looking quick and in great shape,” Fraser said. “From the first day of camp, you could see a huge difference in his game. He was ready to play, ready to contribute, and he hasn’t stopped since the beginning of the year.”

Johnson scored in the Griffins’ season-opening loss to the Rockford IceHogs on Oct. 8, but found himself pointless in the next eight games. While memories of last season kept creeping in, Johnson made sure to keep focused and remind himself that he’s beaten scoreless streaks before.

“I usually start slow, and I have no idea why,” said Johnson. “Even in my best years, I always seem to start slow. Sometimes it’s hard not to think about, but you can’t get frustrated. You have to stay positive and work through it. All you need is a bounce one night, and that seems to make things go.”

When some of his best seasons include a 100-point (24-76—100) season in his final year of junior with the OHL’s Oshawa Generals, and an 80-point (22-58—80) campaign as a second-year pro with the Augusta Lynx of the ECHL, you begin to get a sense for his ability to find the score sheet when he’s feeling confident.

“Any time you’re scoring goals and producing, you seem more confident,” said the London, Ontario, native. “The good things feel a lot better, and you just brush aside the little mistakes. That’s how you have to do it all the time, but it’s much easier when you’re producing.”

Johnson was able to break out of his early season slump in a big way, putting together an AHL career-best five-game goal streak, totaling nine points (6-3-9) in five games to kick off the month of November.

“I just have to keep working hard and going to the net,” Johnson said. “It sounds pretty simple, but if you go to those areas that it’s a little harder to get to sometimes, you seem to get rewarded.”

Johnson was also quick to note that playing with the Griffins’ top scoring duo of Chris Conner (19 points in 14 games) and Gustav Nyquist (14 points in 14 games) tends to make playing the game a little easier.

“It’s been nice,” said the 29-year-old forward. “I just try to go to the net, get Gus and Chris the puck, and it just seems to be working right now.”

Simplicity in getting shots to the net and following up for a rebound has been key for Johnson, as well as the rest of the Griffins. The team emphasized shooting the puck after a skid in early November, and followed up with an average of 45.7 shots over their next three games.

“Some teams play better defensively, and others not as much,” explained Johnson. “As long as we’re trying to get shots through, it will work for us. If we can get 40 shots every night, I like our chances of winning.”

The team found immediate success in that strategy, setting a franchise record for largest margin of victory on the road with an 8-0 win over Hamilton on Nov. 11. Johnson led the charge with two goals and an assist, but was more impressed with how the team came together as a whole.

“That just got some guys going, gave us more confidence,” said Johnson. “It’s nice when everyone’s chipping in and it’s not just one or two lines. I think it brought the team together and we realized that we can score goals.”