The Johansen boys try to shoot and score all over North America, but next Tuesday they’ll be doing it a little closer to home, and for a cause close to their hearts, although they’ll be using a different stick than they’re used to.
Nashville Predators top centre Ryan Johansen and his brother Lucas, a top prospect in the Washington Capitals system, will be swinging their clubs in the Ryan and Lucas Johansen Charity Golf Classic at Swaneset Bay Resort and Country Club’s Lee Trevino-designed courses.
The event is in support of the Eagle Ridge Hospital Foundation in their hometown of Port Moody.
“They’ve always looked after us and been there for us whenever we’ve needed them,” said Ryan in an interview with The Tri-City News. “It was a no brainer.”
In the summers of 2015 and 2016, he’d hooked up with Surrey native Brendan Dillon, a defenceman for the San Jose Sharks to be hosts of the Whistler Invitational, a three-day golf tournament to support the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Canada. But now Ryan and his little brother (Ryan’s an inch taller at 6-foot-3 and five years older) have joined forces to be hometown heroes.
Ryan is an established NHL star while Lucas just completed his first professional season playing for the Hershey Bears, Washington’s American Hockey League affiliate. But with Eagle Ridge being in their hometown it only made sense to have Lucas join in.
“For him to be coming into his pro career and the NHL, and now he’s turned into a big role model here in our community in Port Moody for kids that have the same dreams we did, it’s pretty incredible actually,” said Ryan, 25, of his brother. “We’re a couple of fortunate kids, that’s for sure.”
That’s an understatement, especially for Ryan. He’s played 512 NHL games scoring 116 goals and 342 points. He’s also scored 14 goals and 41 points in 47 playoff games. This fall, he’ll be heading into the second year of an eight-year, $64-million contract.
Ryan and the Predators are coming off a heartbreaking end to their season. They lost a gruelling seven-game, second-round series to the Winnipeg Jets after finishing first overall during the regular campaign. And that’s on top of losing the 2017 Stanley Cup final to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“As a team, and collectively as a group it was pretty disappointing. We felt like we deserved better. We worked to put ourselves in a position to win a Stanley Cup, and to come up short of your goal it was definitely a setback. If it was easy to win everybody would do it,” said Ryan.
In 79 games this past season, Ryan scored 15 goals and 39 assists. He scored just 14 in each of his two previous seasons. His best goal-scoring seasons came with the Columbus Blue Jackets when he had 33 in 2013-2014 and 26 the following year. That was also his top point-producing season with 71.
“I kind of took a step back,” said Ryan. “I’m creating lots of chances [and I’d like to] contribute more in the goal scoring just as an individual. For me it’s all about the details of the game and being a No. 1 centre, being trustworthy against all the other No. 1 centres in the game. It’s always a challenge playing against best players in the world.”
Ryan will turn 26 on July 31, which means he’s heading into what many consider will be his prime years. He believes he’ll perform, especially since he won’t have the pressure of playing for a contract.
“There’s no other worries or stress, just go out there and do my thing,” he said. “All the focus is on going out there and playing.”
Getting together with his brother for the tournament is “awesome.” The feeling is mutual for Lucas, who is a defenceman. At the age of 12 he had a front row seat when Ryan got drafted, and then saw how Ryan and Dillon pulled off the Whistler tourney.
“Just seeing that whole experience giving back and seeing all those people with the same intentions of giving back. It was something I wanted to be part of,” said Lucas.
After spending the previous three seasons in the Western Hockey League playing for the Kelowna Rockets, Lucas played 74 games for Hershey last season scoring six goals and 27 points. He was a first-round pick of the Capitals, 28th overall, in the 2016 NHL entry draft.
“It was awesome,” said Lucas of his first pro season, although he sympathized with the team’s coaches having to play three rookie defencemen. “Pretty much a coach’s nightmare but they taught me a lot of things.”
Although the Bears didn’t make the playoffs, he did get to be one of the Capitals’ ‘Black Aces’ during the first-round of the NHL playoffs, getting to practise and travel with the team. But he had to watch the rest of Washington’s run to the Cup from afar.
“I don’t know those guys too well, but I do know them and I was definitely rooting for them,” said Lucas. “I was getting a little worried it was going to be Nashville and Washington [in the final], I didn’t know who to cheer for.”
Trying to crack the roster of a championship team will be a tall task for Lucas come training camp.
“I’m going to go in there and just leave it out there. I’ll be really confident by then, after putting in another summer of work,” he said. “I’m a pretty impatient guy, so I’m going to have to be pretty good to change their mind.”
The Johansens are hoping to attract about 10 NHL players, including a couple of Vancouver Canucks and Coquitlam’s Matthew Barzal, NHL rookie of the year, to the Classic.
It’s the 19th time the foundation has held its charity tournament, but the first of three the tourney will be connected with the Johansens. The previous tournaments have raised more than $2.5 million.
“We are excited to see the tournament reach new milestones and offer our golfers and sponsors an unforgettable day in support of our community hospital,” said foundation executive director Charlene Giovannetti-King in an email statement. “We are extremely grateful for the passion and support the brothers and the entire Johansen family continue to show Eagle Ridge Hospital Foundation and our community.”
Although sponsorship and the event is sold out, there will be an opportunity to grab autographs in the morning. An autograph session registration desk will be set up outside the main entrance doors to check in at.
