Thursday, Jul. 09, 2009

Blues defenseman Erik Johnson glad to be back at work

Knee injury forced him to miss all of 2008-09 season

ST. LOUIS -- It would be tough to say what the St. Louis Blues missed the most when defenseman Erik Johnson sat out all of last season because of knee surgery.

Was it his big shot from the point on the power play? How about the seeing-eye transition passes, or his ability to quickly move the puck from end to end and make plays?

Quick answer? All of the above -- and more.

Especially when the Blues' defense created the lowest amount of offense in the NHL last season with just 15 goals and 97 assists.

Johnson gave Blues fans a tempting taste of his upside with five goals and 33 points in his rookie season of 2007-08. Then a bizarre golf-cart accident in September led to surgery and a lengthy rehabilitation that has carried over into this summer.

"When you're two years older, you get that much more mature," said Al MacInnis, the Hall of Fame defenseman and Blues vice president. "He's bigger, he's stronger, he's got a great shot and passes the puck hard. He's always done that, but now he's better with more maturity."

Playing before an overflow crowd of more than 1,000 at St. Louis Mills on Wednesday at the team's pro orientation camp, Johnson gave fans a sneak preview of what they can look forward to in 2009-10.

He's bigger and stronger, having added 10 pounds onto his 6-foot-4 frame. So now he's back on the ice with rookies, prospects and tryout hopefuls trying to regain the form that made him the first overall pick in the 2006 draft.

"It's part of my journey I guess, to hopefully becoming an elite NHL player and an elite NHL defenseman," Johnson said. "I'm having a lot of fun. Not that I can say I expected to be back here, but I feel fortunate to be back here, being a leader and a mentor to some of the younger guys and also getting some quality ice time for myself."

He also had no negatives to report on his surgically repaired right knee following Wednesday's practice session.

"It's exciting to feel that good," he said. "Obviously there's a little rust for me to shake off, but I'd rather shake this rust off now than do it in September or October."

Johnson won't play in the Blue-Gold camp scrimmage Saturday.

"I just haven't been cleared for game contact yet," he said. "I could play, but there's just no reason to clear me fully yet. I'd say I'm at 99 percent."

Johnson and fellow Blues defense prospect Alex Pietrangelo, the fourth overall pick in the 2008 draft, have been working out at the Mills on their own for over a month.

"This is great for me," Johnson said. "I've been here all summer and finally, I don't have to pay for my own ice time. (The Blues) get to pick it up."

The Blues will happily do that if it means getting a healthy and productive Johnson back on the ice. MacInnis has skated with Johnson and monitored his progress closely along with strength and conditioning coach Nelson Ayotte.

"He's worked extremely hard over the last year since his surgery," MacInnis said. "The last four or five months he's really taken it to another level and his (physical) testing today was extremely positive.

"He's a kid that's anxious to play and he's put the work into it. It looks like he's ready to go."

Johnson's upper body is noticeably larger than before. At one point Wednesday, he got his arms up on an opposing forward and it looked like someone crashing into a wall.

"I had a big frame, but I had a lot to add to it and I think I've done that," Johnson said. "It's a lot of fun to put in the work and the harder you work, the luckier you get."

MacInnis said Johnson's return should be made easier by a gradual progression. He's worked out on his own, with a few teammates and now has four days at the orientation camp.

Still to come are the Team USA Olympic training camp Aug. 17-19 and Blues training camp in September.

"That's really going to help him," MacInnis said. "It's not like he's coming back from that (surgery) in the middle of the year or end of the year.

"He's going to have a gradual climb, which is only going to help him. He's a confident kid that believes in his ability --and he should."

Johnson was surrounded by wide-eyed rookies as he surveyed the training room. They look to him as a leader despite his own relative inexperience in a league he one day hopes to dominate.

"I'm my own biggest critic," Johnson said. "No one puts more responsibility or pressure on themselves than me. I want to be as good as everyone else wants me to be."