Erik Johnson

Erik Johnson (born Erik Robert Johnson on March 21, 1988) is an American ice hockey defenseman playing for the Colorado Avalanche in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was formerly with the St. Louis Blues.

Erik was the number one overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. He was drafted by the Blues from the U.S. under-18 national team and played one season at the University of Minnesota before transferring to the NHL.

Junior Hockey Career
Erik played hockey for the Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, Minnesota before transferring to Ann Arbor, Michigan to play for the National Team Development Program (NTDP).

Erik is one of the six Americans to have been chosen first in the NHL Entry Draft, along with Patrick Kane (2007), Rick DiPietro (2000), Bryan Berard (1995), Mike Modano (1988) and Brian Lawton (1983).

Erik played for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers during the 2006–07 season.

On April 20, 2007, Erik was signed by the St. Louis Blues to a three-year entry level contract.

NHL Career
On October 6, 2007, Erik scored his first NHL goal against the Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Bernier which was also the game-winning goal.

He finished his rookie season averaging over 18 minutes of ice-time per game to go with 5 goals and 28 assists in 69 games.

In the off-season, Erik suffered a major setback, tearing his ACL and MCL when his right foot was caught between the accelerator and the brake pedal of his golf cart during a team golf outing on September 16, 2008.

On November 20, 2008, he underwent knee surgery to repair the damaged ligament and missed the entirety of the 2008–09 season.

On August 2, 2010, as a restricted free agent, Erik re-signed with the Blues with a two year, $5.2 million contract.

In the following 2010–11 season on February 19, 2011, Erik was traded by the Blues to the Colorado Avalanche along with Jay McClement and a conditional first round pick (that Colorado used to select Duncan Siemens) in exchange for Chris Stewart, Kevin Shattenkirk and a conditional second round pick (that St. Louis used to select Ty Rattie).

Later that day, Erik made his Avalanche debut at the HP Pavilion at San Jose in a 4–0 defeat to the San Jose Sharks.

In his second game on February 22, 2011, Erik faced his former team and posted his first goal as an Avalanche in a 4–3 victory over the Blues.

On July 3, 2012, Erik signed a 4-year, $15 million extension with the Avalanche.

Awards & Achievements

 * 2006: Bob Johnson Award (Best American Player in International Competition)
 * 2007: IIHF World U20 Championship Best Defenseman Directorate Award
 * 2007: IIHF World U20 Championship All Star Team
 * 2007: WCHA All-Rookie Team
 * 2007–08: Played in the NHL YoungStars Game

International Play
As a product of the USNTDP, Erik made his international debut for the United States at the 2005 World U17 Hockey Challenge. In the same year, he captured the Gold Medal when he was 17 years old at the 2005 World Under–18 Championships.

Erik scored 10 points in 6 games the 2006 World Under–18 championships to help the U.S retain the Gold medal and he was selected as the Bob Johnson Award winner as the Best American player in International competition.

Erik was a member of the 2007 U20 American team that won a Bronze Medal in the U20 World Championships. Johnson was named to the tournament's All-Star Team and was named the tournament's Best Defenseman.

He finished the tournament with 4 goals and 6 assists for 10 points, becoming the first defenseman to lead the tournament in scoring.

Representing Team USA at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics Winter Games, Erik received a silver medal after losing in overtime to Canada in the final.