University of Minnesota Athletics
Erik Johnson and Kyle Okposo Blogs Featured on NHL.com
5/29/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
Johnson, a 6-4, 225-pound blueliner will join the Maroon and Gold from the U.S. National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich. A member of the NTDP Under-18 Team this past season, Johnson finished fifth on the team in scoring with 16-33--49 in 47 games. In April, he helped the U.S. National Under-18 Team to the gold medal at the 2006 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Under-18 Championship in Sweden. For the tournament, Johnson posted totals of 4-6--10. Johnson also represented the U.S. at the 2006 IIHF World Junior Championship early this year in Canada. He had one goal and three assists in seven games as Team USA finished fourth.
In 2004-05, Johnson played 42 games with the Under-17 team and eight games with the Under-18 Team, totaling 11-14--25. That season, Johnson helped lead Team USA to the gold medal at the Four Nations Cup in Rochester, N.Y., with 1-3--4 in four games. Rated as one of the top defensemen prospects in the nation, Johnson attended the Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, Minn., during his freshman and sophomore seasons. In 2003-04, he had 13-21--34 in 31 games and was named Missota All-Conference during the Stars’ consolation championship season. Johnson had 2-9--11 during his freshman season to help Holy Angels to third place at the state tournament.
Okposo, a 6-0, 195-pound forward will come to Minnesota from the Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States Hockey League (USHL). For the season, he finished second on his team and sixth in the league in scoring with 27-31--58 in 50 games, earning USHL Rookie of the Year honors. Okposo led the Buccaneers to the Clark Cup Championship, leading the league in playoff scoring with 5-11--16 in 11 games. Prior to joining the Bucs, he helped guide his Shattuck-St. Mary's Prep team to the Midget Major AAA National Championship in 2004-05. Considered one of the premier players in the country for his age group, Okposo is a powerful skater with natural competitive instincts and excellent hockey sense. Okposo will become the first African-American hockey player to play for Minnesota, and will be only the fifth player under Head Coach Don Lucia to list one of the Twin Cities as his hometown - Mike Vannelli (St. Paul), Matt Koalska (St. Paul), Troy Riddle (Minneapolis) and Mike Lyons (St. Paul).
Six current and future Golden Gophers are ranked in the top 100 in the Central Scouting Services' final rankings. Among North American skaters, Johnson is ranked No. 1, followed by center Phil Kessel (Madison, Wis.) at No. 5, Okposo at No. 11, defenseman David Fischer (Apple Valley, Minn.) at No. 29, forward Michael Carman (Apple Valley, Minn.) at No. 63 and forward Ryan Flynn (Lino Lakes, Minn.) at No. 77. According to The Hockey News draft preivew, Johnson will be picked No. 1, followed by Kessel at No. 2, Okposo at No. 10, Fischer at No. 25 and Flynn at No. 54.
Last week, Carman, Fischer, Johnson, Kessel and Okposo participated in the 2006 NHL Draft Combine in Toronto.
