Johnson’s hockey career taking flight

Armena Royal shortstop, catcher and pitcher Adam Johnson was named Source for Sports player of the week in the Alberta Junior Hockey League for Feb. 8 – 15.

Johnson has notched 9 points in his last three games, including 6 goals. Check it out at ajhl.ab.ca.

The Fort MacMurray Oil Baron, who turned 20 in January, isn’t too shabby of a ball player either.

“The Bardo Athletics saw Johnson’s hockey mentality in a do-or-die game with him on the hill trying to keep us in the game with the bases juiced,” said Royals’ manager Jason Buzzell. “His manly grunts on the mound were kind of funny, but at the same time, oddly inspiring.”

“That’s the hardest I’ve ever tried to throw,” Johnson would say after the game. “I was so mad.”

But he obviously is excelling even more at Canada’s national sport.

“His dream of playing college (hockey) might end up taking him out of our lineup for the 2009 season, but you know what, as sad as it is to think he might not be around, I think we’ll all be cheering him on big time in hockey,” said Armena’s Jason Buzzell.

Johnson almost reached .300 after a tough-luck start at the plate, which saw him go 2-for-32 to start the season. He had one bad outing on the hill in a pre-season start versus the Camrose Axemen, that saw him blow a 3-run lead, capped with his defence crumbling on a game-ending ground ball to earn the loss.

It inflated his ERA and made the coaching staff skeptical of his pitching prowess. Despite mowing down Tofield on multiple occasions, the coaching staff went with young Mark Walker and then veteran Jason Buzzell in a must-win game against Tofield, which the Royals went on to lose 4-3.

“I’m not going to lie that I wasn’t mad,” Johnson said of not getting the start. “I was undefeated against Tofield and hadn’t allowed any runs, but what can you do?”

Johnson was selected to the All-Star team, but couldn’t make it to the game, so Clark Banack filled in as a replacement.

We might have seen the last of Johnson in the PBL, but you can still catch him on the ice locally. Johnson and the Oil Barons are in action this weekend on Friday night and Sunday afternoon as the MOB heads to St. Albert to wrap up their AJHL regular season.

Posted on February 12, 2010 by Jason Buzzell