Cree centre a mature leader for his Merritt squad

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Though he is in his final season of junior eligibility and has not been drafted by a National Hockey League club, Ryan Johnson is hoping to continue playing hockey for several years to come.

The 20-year-old centre is currently toiling for the Merritt Centennials, members of the British Columbia Junior A Hockey League.

Johnson, a 6-foot-1, 195-pounder, is known for his toughness. But he's also a solid two-way player. He centres the Centennials' second line and also sees action on the team's powerplay and penalty killing units.

Just how valuable Johnson can be to teams was proven earlier this year when he was named the captain of the Coquitlam Express, another franchise in the B.C. league. Johnson had spent the entire 2001-2002 campaign with the Express.

Johnson, who has been playing hockey since he was four, was traded from Coquitlam to Merritt this past November. It marked the first time in his career that he had ever been traded.

And it was a move he certainly wasn't expecting.

"I was very surprised," he said. "Teams don't usually trade their captains. But the perfect deal came along though."

Johnson is now happy in Merritt because he is on a veteran-laden squad. As for Coquitlam, it's a younger team building for the future.

"We're going to go a long way in the playoffs," Johnson said of this year's Merritt team.

The Centennials had posted a 21-22-3 record following their first 46 games this season. This mark was good enough for third place in the league's eight-team Interior Division.

As for his individual stats, Johnson had 31 points (12 goals, 19 assists) following his first 39 games this year.

For Johnson, a Cree Native who was born in Hobbema, Alta., this marks his third season of playing in the junior ranks. He began his junior career in the Alberta Junior A Hockey League with the Olds Grizzlies during the 1999-2000 season.

He then took a year off from hockey so he could do some travelling. During a span of three months, Johnson visited a total of 21 countries.

That trip made Johnson realize hockey just might be his ticket to once again seeing various parts of the world.

"It opened my eyes quite a bit," he said of his three-month trip. "It made me realize if I continue with my hockey, I might be able to come back and visit these countries again some day."

Ideally, Johnson is keen to play south of the border next season at an American university. He said a couple of Michigan-based schools-Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech- have expressed some interest in offering him an athletic scholarship.

And if an offer does not pan out, Johnson said he is confident he could turn pro and play in the East Coast Hockey League.

"I think he could play at the next level," said Centennials' assistant coach John Bradley. "The only thing he needs to work on is his skating."

Bradley added Johnson has been a valuable addition to the Merritt squad this season.

"He's shown a lot of leadership and a lot of toughness," Bradley said. "He's tough as nails but has been a mature leader on and off the ice for us. And he's just getting better and better."

Though he didn't play in a higher-calibre Major Junior A league such as the Western Hockey League, Johnson maintains his National Hockey League aspirations are not completely dead. He believes there is a slim chance he could eventually graduate to the big leagues, possibly after a university career or some grooming in a minor pro circuit.

"I'd go around the back way so to speak," he said. "I'd be a late bloomer but it is possible. It's just a matter of how bad you want it."