Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson was drafted by the Penguins 67th overall in the 2004 Entry Draft. Another in a fairly lukewarm attempt at squeezing some Ivy League talent onto the roster, Johnson eventually signed a two-way contract with the Penguins in 2008 after graduating from Dartmouth.  When he made his debut in January of the 2009-10 season, he scored his first career NHL goal. That wasn't enough to keep him on the squad however, and he was sent back down to Wilkes-Barre after only six games.

Having only played four more games for the Penguins the following season, for a total of 10, Johnson was claimed off waivers by the Wild and became a fourth line starter for their club. He's a big bodied guy that could certainly snap the puck around but his point contribution was nothing like it had been in the AHL. His time in Minnesota was short lived as he was released from his contract at season end. He went on to play a few games for the Coyotes and Bruins before heading over to Europe to finish out his career. 

This is a 2010-11 Upper Deck Victory RC of Nick Johnson and the autograph was obtained in person at a signing event during his time in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson was probably in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Not the fact that he was in Pittsburgh but the fact that he was in the Pittsburgh organization at a time when the Pens were building a deep roster of potential call ups on the WBS team.

He was drafted in 2004 in the 3rd round and went straight to college out of the draft.   It wasn't until 2009-10 season that he saw NHL ice time.  The depth depth at wing was starting to develop and because of that fact, he was allowed to go to waivers after only appearing in 10 games over two seasons (it also didn't help that he went on the shelf with a concussion for some of that time).  The Wild picked him up and he seemed to find a home on their checking line.  But the following season he was let go again.

Eventually Phoenix picked him up off of free agency and signed him to a two-way deal but the lockout prevented him from making a lasting impact.  He is now in the Boston Bruins system and has appeared in 9 games in 2013-14.

Nick Johnson

This card came to me in a trade at some point either last year or the year before, I don't really remember.  By trade, I mean a blog writer/collector's trade where inevitably someone gets screwed from a marketability standpoint but no one cares because they eliminated cards they don't like for cards they do.

At any rate, we have an autograph card of former Penguins forward, Nick Johnson.  Johnson was picked 67th overall by the Penguins in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.  Right out of the draft, Nick went to Dartmouth and played 4 years while getting his education.  He was signed to a two-way deal in Pittsburgh in March of 2008 after finishing his college career as a solid, versatile, scoring winger.

After two years of playing mostly for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Johnson appeared in only 6 NHL games, getting 1 goal and 2 points.  In WBS, he was fifth in scoring with 16 goals and 43 assists.  He led the team in plus/minus with a +19.  As a reward, the Pens signed him to another 1-year extention.

But the Pens patience began to run out on Nick (as well as many of the other young prospects from that year) and after only 4 games and 3 points, they let him go to the waiver wire at the end of the 2010-11 season.  It was hard for him to crack the lineup on a permanent basis to show what he could do since the Pens were so deep in the forward positions.  I would have like to see him hang on for a year or two more as a third or fourth liner but he was picked up by the Wild.

He played 77 games that next season, scoring 8 goals 18 assists (his best season in the NHL).  But even that wasn't enough to get invited back to Minnesota and he was signed to the Coyotes during last years lock-out shortened season.  He played in 17 games, splitting time with the Portland Pirates.  Finally, just two weeks ago, the Boston Bruins picked him up in a flurry of deals that also included the signing of former Calgary superstar and most recently Penguin, Jerome Iginla.

This card is from the 2010-11 SP Authentic set and is his Future Watch rookie/auto card #/999.  Nick has kind of a scribble auto with lots of ups and downs...kind of like his career.  He signs with his number which is probably the only way you could figure out this signature out of context.  Use your imagination a little and you might be able to notice what looks like "Mr. Jr 42"