Name: Michael Johnson
Age: 18
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 210 lbs
Position: Goalie
Birthplace: Vancouver, Canada
This big goalie from the west coast in Canada has big dreams and aspirations for his hockey career. His incredibly disciplined attitude has got an inspiring reaction from his previous teammates. He’s still young so indeed he does make mistakes, but he intends to work on his weaknesses so he never makes the same mistake.
Pros:
Rebound Control: Early in his career, Michael Johnson is a hybrid goalkeeper that swallows up every shot he can. His awareness for certain situations has helped him direct shots to the corners. Michael has learned in his past from his high school team that he could not rely on his teams defence alone, so he has made his number 1 priority as a goalie to make sure he doesn’t put his team in an awkward position by letting a silly rebound out.
Reaction Timing: Along with rebounds, Johnson has realized that in order to control his rebounds he must make sure he works on his reaction time. He is most noticed for his reactions to game changing saves and is allotted for his eye popping save most games. This can sometimes backfire but with how far along he is with this training and skill, he’ll be a master at no time.
Hand Speed: Johnson also contains elite hand speed. Tie that in with his reactions and rebound control and he’s got a very tidy glove save. He has this unbelievable confidence in his glove hand although this can be a negative at times. His glove has been compared to the greats when they have been at his age. His stick in the crease is quite good as well, although behind the net he does not look too comfortable. His stick on the other hand is average at best. For this level, his glove hand will be a total surprise!
Cons:
Skating: Johnson has shown that he must work on his skating in order to succeed at this level. He makes bad decisions to go behind the net to retrieve the puck coupled with the fact that he’s not fast on his feet can really handicap his team. He most definitely needs to work on this in order to get to the next level.
Leadership: Johnson struggles with his leadership skills. In the past, he's been known for belittling his teammates commitment as he felt he always put his all. Sometimes in practice he's been known for getting into a some shoving matches with certain teammates. Overall, if he is to be an asset this season, Michael is going to have to learn to not be a locker room distraction. His ability to organize his defence as well as motivate his team is something he’s going to need in the future. There leaves a lot of room to be desired here as this can be considered not acceptable by certain GM's in higher levels.
Insecurity: Johnson has been known to sometimes question himself and the progress he has made. He’s been known to need validation that he’s been doing the right thing day in day out. Coupled this with Leadership, his insecurity has lead him to believe that sometimes he’s just not going to be good enough. If he can work on his insecurity problems and focus on being a confident player, we really could have an amazing goalkeeper on our hands.
The Michael Johnson project has just begun but there is tonnes of potential and upside. His work ethic is incredibly strong. Letting him be the backup in this upcoming season would be beneficial for himself as he needs to earn his place within the team by growing as a person as well as goalie. This season he is signed to the Halifax 21st and should surprise a few!
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