Just Who Is Jim Johnson

When the Peter Chiarelli announced Todd McLellan as the newest head coach it was widely speculated that much of his staff while he was with the Sharks would be joining him again with the Oil this season. Well a few weeks later it was announced that Jim Johnson would indeed be a member of the Oilers coaching staff.

Johnson is a veteran of 19 NHL seasons that included time with the Penguins, Minnesota/Dallas, Washington and the Phoenix Coyotes. After playing 839 NHL games he retired and immediately began his coaching career. Unlike many retired players he didn’t go straight to NHL coaching, not even the minors. Jim Johnson started his second career coaching minor hockey in Arizona.

Johnson began his NHL coaching career with the Phoenix Coyotes in 2001 when he came in as interim coach. That same year he also served as an assistant coach the the US National Junior team in Russia. That wasn’t his first stint as a coach with the World Junior program either, in ’99-2000 and 2001-2002 he was also an assistant coach with the red, white and blue.

After a few years away from the NHL, Johnson found himself as the development coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning before moving up as the head coach of their AHL Affiliate Norfolk Admirals. He eventually moved up the the big team as an assistant coach under Rick Tocchet.

After time in Tampa he moved on the the Washington Capitals before finding a home with Todd McLellan and the San Jose Sharks. In all of Johnson’s experience he has worked mostly as the defensive coach, and if you look at some of the players he’s been responsible for developing that list is pretty formidable; it includes names like Victor Hedman, John Carlsson, and Marc Edouard-Vlasic, arguably 3 of the leagues best. The man knows how to work with young defenseman, something the Oilers are going to need some serious help with in the years to come.

Jim Johnson also has a passion for teaching and educating amateur hockey coaches as well. He is the founder of a site called flexxCOACH.com. It’s a website “dedicated to improving the youth sports experience by effectively enhancing the environment in which young people participate in sports-by coaching the coaches who interact with our youth”. It’s not something you expect to see from someone that has already “made it” so to speak, he doesn’t have to do that but I think it shows his passion for the game.

Johnson is going to have his work cut out for him in the coming seasons with the likes for Justin Schultz, Darnell Nurse and Griffin Reinhart, but if his past coaching experience is any sign then I think we’ll see some positive arrows among our defensemen going forward.

Thanks for Reading.