The Minnesota Wild have signed defenseman Jack Johnson of Indianapolis, Indiana to a professional tryout according to Rogers Sportsnet on Monday. This does not mean Johnson has made the Wild’s roster for the 2025-26 National Hockey League regular season. Right now, he has just been given an invite to training camp. Johnson will only be given a contract by the Wild if he makes the team.
Johnson’s 2024-25 NHL Statistics
Johnson played 41 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets and had six assists for six points. He was a -13 with two penalty minutes, 23 shots on goal, 35 blocked shots, 21 hits, eight takeaways, and 19 giveaways. Johnson had one multi-point game this past season. He had two assists for two points in a 7-4 Blue Jackets loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Who has Johnson played for?
Johnson has played for six NHL franchises. He was with the Los Angeles Kings for six seasons from 2006 to 2012, the Blue Jackets for two different stints (2012 to 2018, and again in 2024 to 2025), the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2018 to 2020), the New York Rangers (2020 to 2021), the Colorado Avalanche for two different stints (2021 to 2022, and again for two seasons from 2023 to 2024), and the Chicago Blackhawks (2022 to 2023).
Johnson’s NHL Career Statistics
Johnson has 77 goals and 265 assists for 342 points in 1228 games. He is a -127 with 639 penalty minutes, 121 power-play points, eight shorthanded points, 11 game-winning goals and 1679 shots on goal.
 Stanley Cup Champion
Like veteran NHL defenseman Chad Ruhwedel of San Diego, California, (who made NHL headlines this week for his retirement), Johnson is a Stanley Cup champion. While Rhuwedel won a Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2017, Johnson won his Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022. The Avalanche defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games in the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals. In 13 games during the 2022 NHL postseason, Johnson did not register a point, and was a +1 with 10 penalty minutes, three shots on goal, six blocked shots, 39 hits and one takeaway.
Is Johnson expected to the Wild roster?
The feeling right now is maybe. Five players expected to make the Wild defense are Brock Faber of Maple Grove, Minnesota, Jacob Middleton of Wainwright, Alberta, captain Jared Spurgeon of Edmonton, Alberta, rookie and 2024 NCAA Frozen Four champion Zeev Buium of San Diego, California, and Zach Bogosian of Massena, New York. There is a possibility that Johnson could make the roster if Jonas Brodin needs more time to rehabilitate after offseason upper-body surgery. That is a big question mark at this point.
