Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff discusses Albert Johansson this morning, noting that the 23-year-old defenseman may not have spectacular skills, but Johansson does possess a strong all-round game:
“Simple, heavy, hard,” is the outline Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde gives of what an effective Johansson performance looks like. “He’s been noticeable in some aspects of camp, which is a positive for him.”
With two seasons of North American pro hockey under his belt playing for the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins, Johansson is still awaiting his NHL debut. It will come this season. He must clear NHL waivers to go back down to GR. That’s not going to happen.
“Now it’s a new season,” Johansson said. “Time to take the next step.”
For Johansson, that next step isn’t going to be into the limelight.
Regardless, Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson, who often played in tandem with Johansson for the Griffins, thinks Detroit fans will be delighted by what they see from his fellow Swede.
“Good hands, good vision,” Edvinsson said. “He’s a steady defenseman. I really like how he plays. We played a lot in GR. We had good chemistry there and yeah, I really like him as a player.”
Continued; Johansson is just plain old smooth out on the ice in terms of his skating, puck-handling, playmaking and the way he sorts out his defensive assignments. There’s a maturity to his game that’s intriguing, and he should fit right in with the Red Wings’ defensive corps.
