NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Lucas Johansen

Get to Know Lucas Johansen

Date of Birth: 11/16/1997
Place of Birth: Port Moody, BC, CAN
Ht: 6’2″ Wt: 176 lbs
Shoots: Left
Position: Defense
Team (League): Kelowna Rockets (WHL)

Statistics

What Scouts See

Bill Placzek:

Emerging defender who projects as a two way defender with strong balance and skating ability. The younger brother of Ryan is still a work in progress, but has size and is a very good puck mover and plays on both the penalty kill and the power play. Leads by example and can move attacker out of the front, get in the lanes and break up passes, and he make that first pass out in transition and jump into the rush.

Last Word on Sports:

Lucas Johansen is a two-way defenceman whose game is based on his smooth skating. Good agility, edge work, and strong pivots give Johansen the ability to change directions, and transition quickly and effectively from offence to defence. His good lateral movement allows him to keep the play in front of him in the defensive end, or to walk the line and open up shooting lanes in the defensive end.

What BSN Avalanche sees

Johansen is a good skater who doesn’t overwhelm you in any particular area. Another player coming from a defensemen factory that has received excellent coaching, Johansen should continue to progress quickly and be ready to make a pro transition in a few short years. He’s a smart defender who uses positioning to his advantage and is very disruptive to opposing puck-carriers and transitions to offense efficiently.

Johansen is a classic jack-of-all-trades, master of none type of player. His hockey IQ will always outclass his physical abilities, especially since he doesn’t use his impressive size particularly well. That should come in time as he continues to bulk up. He’s not an overly gifted offensive player but rather one who gets by on making the right decisions consistently. He doesn’t push play very hard and isn’t aggressive in any area of the ice.

Highlights (Speaker check on this one)

NHL Potential

Johansen has the look of a good second-pairing NHL defender. He’s a cerebral player who excels in all phases of the game. He can be an all-units player that contributes in many ways.

Expected Draft Position

Unless someone goes crazy and falls in love, which does happen every year at the NHL Draft, Johansen will likely be a second or third-round selection.

How Prospect Fits in Avalanche Organization

Johansen wouldn’t be a sexy addition to Colorado’s prospect stable but he’d be one of the more reliable guys to be sure. There isn’t an overwhelming upside here but there’s a certainty that at the absolute worst you’re getting a decent AHL player here someday. Johansen would slot in somewhere in Colorado’s top five right away and be a player to watch for years to come. His style certainly fits the trend they’ve been drafting in recent years as they have consistently targeted kids who can contribute offense but are best known for their stay-at-home play.