Adam Johnson - Hibbing

BP · Post by BP » Thu Jan 10, 2013 12:54 pm

What's the report on him? I haven;t seen him play since his sophomore year....notice he isn't scoring a ton, thought he's have a boat load this year of points???

rainier · Post by **rainier** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 1:32 pm

After scoring an outstanding 85 points his sophomore season, his numbers have dropped. Nick DeCenzo was a huge reason for his success; he was an excellent set up guy. Hibbing hasn't had anyone as good as DeCenzo the past two seasons, so that has hindered his scoring.

Last season he missed 5 games to a back injury and had 59 points, so if you extrapolate for those 5 games, he finishes on a pace for 72, not too far off soph. season. Joe Anderson and Josh Bestul joined him to make a solid 1st line.

This year he has 21 points, well below what would be expected. The reasons for fewer points are two-fold: 1) He has had to play defense quite a lot, as the Jackets have had many injuries to blueliners and have also been working in a couple of very young kids, and 2) Instability on the top line. Their 2nd best forward, Bestul, missed a couple of weeks with an injury and they haven't yet found a 3rd player that clicks with them.

Despite the drop in scoring, I still think he is the most offensively gifted player in MN (apologies to Besse and Coatta). I have watched Hibbing play Tonka, Rapids, Hermantown, Marshall, Cloquet, and many other schools with top shelf players, yet he is consistently the best player on the ice. He may not be the most "complete" player in the state, but he's as good with the puck as anyone.

I think Bruce Plante said it best after Johnson netted a hat trick against his team at the state tourney, "Heck, that kid could play for UMD right now." There is a reason Sandelin offered him a scholarship when he was just a sophomore.

Hibbing plays one of the toughest A schedules in the state (Benilde, Tonka, Eagan, Rapids twice, Hermantown, Cloquet, etc.) so without much help, top teams are really able to limit him.

Hopefully the Jackets will continue to improve as the season moves on and get to state, but either way, I look forward to him playing with Toninato, Thomas, Kuhlman, Pionk and the other top kids heading to UMD soon.

keepyourheadup · Post by **keepyourheadup** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 2:15 pm

I love this kids offensive skills but in the Elite league the last two years he has not really stood out. With his skill set he might be better at the next level where his teammates can take some pressure off him.

almostashappy · Post by **almostashappy** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 3:21 pm

keepyourheadup wrote:I love this kids offensive skills but in the Elite league the last two years he has not really stood out. With his skill set he might be better at the next level where his teammates can take some pressure off him.

So there was nobody like that on either of his Elite League teams

Looking forward to seeing him play next weekend out on the lake.

rainier · Post by **rainier** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 4:53 pm

keepyourheadup wrote:I love this kids offensive skills but in the Elite league the last two years he has not really stood out. With his skill set he might be better at the next level where his teammates can take some pressure off him.

Agreed. But in the 5 or 6 Team North games I watched the last two seasons I don't think anyone stood out that much on that team. (The D East line from 2011 did somewhat because those three had a psychic connection on the ice.) IMO, guys like Kuhlman and A. Peterson didn't really stand out either, and they make national teams. Also, Guyer played all four lines evenly.

I think he will flourish at the next level, but we'll see.