When he left the AHL to join the Islanders last month, Ross Johnston had the dubious distinction of leading the league in penalty minutes.
The hulking winger has left that tag behind in Bridgeport.
Johnston has not shied away from his physical play, but he has done it in a smarter fashion in his first prolonged stay with the big-league team.
“I think you just try to finish your hits, obviously, as clean as possible and having a good stick on the forecheck,” Johnston said Tuesday before the Islanders hosted the Blue Jackets at Barclays Center. “Playing that fine line is sometimes difficult, but I think so far I’ve done a pretty good job of walking the line. So far it’s led to a bit of success.”
The 6-foot-5, 235-pound Johnston has two goals and an assist in his first seven games with the Islanders since a Jan. 19 promotion — after having just three goals in 37 games with the Sound Tigers. He originally made his NHL debut with a one-game call-up in 2016, in which he took two trips to the penalty box for high sticking and slashing.
This time around, though, Johnston is balancing playing smart and playing physical “perfectly,” coach Doug Weight said.
“I don’t think he’s taken a penalty without taking somebody else with him,” Weight said. “He’s been as intimidating as you can be. He comes in, he knows how to hit, he has good feet, he’s worked hard on them. He’s getting the puck in and creating some opportunities as well. He’s just been really solid.”
Johnston’s only penalties this season have all been matching, coming on a pair of fights — one that came with a misconduct — for a grand total of 20 minutes. He had 113 penalty minutes, with five fights (per hockeyfights.com), prior to his call-up.
“Obviously you gotta give up something when you fight,” Johnston said. “Five minutes isn’t the end of the world, though. I can sacrifice that here and there.”
But Johnston knows that bringing energy through a drop of the gloves can’t be the only way he contributes. The 23-year-old has worked to shed the enforcer label.
“I think you have to be more than just a fighter in today’s game,” he said. “You have to be able to play the game, you have to be able to skate and play somewhat of a regular shift. I think I’ve worked pretty hard at developing that part of my game.”
Johnston is realistic about his game — “There’s not a whole lot of finesse to it,” he said — but it’s made him a steady piece of the fourth line alongside veterans Casey Cizikas and Jason Chimera. He believes the identity of the line suits him well.
“It’s chipping pucks in, chipping pucks out, finishing your hits and creating energy for the team,” he said.
Despite only playing 7:08 in Monday’s 3-2 loss to the Flames, Johnston provided a glimpse of what he brings. He bookended the first period by delivering a forecheck that helped create the Islanders’ first goal and then accepting a challenge from Ryan Lomberg to fight, offering a flurry of right hooks.
In the third period, Johnston brought some energy shifts, one of which forced a Flames penalty to give the Islanders a power play.
“Obviously you’re pretty nervous the first couple games, you don’t really want to make a mistake,” Johnston said. “But the more I play, the more I play my game and the more success we have, it obviously helps the confidence.”