Kent Johnson’s Olympic experience just got more real.
The Port Moody centreman, who’s in his sophomore season at the University of Michigan, has been moved to Team Canada’s active roster in time for its first game in the 2022 Winter Olympics hockey tournament in Beijing, China.
Johnson joins fellow Tri-City players Ben Street and Port Moody’s Adam Tambellini pulling on the maple leaf when Canada meets Germany on Thursday (Feb. 10) at 5:10 a.m. PST.
The ascension of Johnson from the reserve squad was announced by Hockey Canada in a post on Twitter late Tuesday afternoon (Feb. 8).
UPDATE | Morgan Ellis and Kent Johnson have been activated to 🇨🇦’s Men’s Olympic Team’s roster.
— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) February 9, 2022
Daniel Carr and Brandon Gormley move to the reserve list, joining Chris DiDomenico, John Gilmour, Justin Pogge and Max Vérroneau.#TeamCanada | #Beijing2022 pic.twitter.com/RYCwxStgDC
Johnson, who was selected fifth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in last summer NHL draft, was initially named as one of six players on standby in case roster players are injured or are unable to play for other reasons. He participated in the team’s training camp in Davos, Switzerland prior to its departure for China.
One of Johnson’s teammates on the Wolverines, Owen Power, is also on Team Canada.
Street and Tambellini are both forging professional careers in Europe after toiling for several years in North America’s minor pro leagues. Street's played 59 games for various NHL teams.
Street is playing for Munich EHC in Germany’s top pro league, where he has scored 30 points in 31 games. Tambellini has 35 points in 33 games for Rogle BK Angelholm of the Swedish Hockey League.
Johnson has 30 points in 23 games so far this season at Michigan.
He also scored a goal in one of two games he played for Canada’s entry at the World Junior Hockey Championships last December in Edmonton before that tournament was abruptly called off because of rising COVID-19 exposures.
- with files from Kyle Balzer, Tri-City News
