Wyatt Johnston led all Stars players with 10 goals through Dallas’ run to the Western Conference Finals last season. He scored a handful of those while just 20 years old.
Now 21 after celebrating his birthday in the middle of the Stars’ second-round series against Vegas, Johnston is gearing up for his third season in the NHL with the maturity of someone in their 13th. How does he do it?
Ahead of training camp, he sat down with The Musers on Sportsradio 96.7 & 1310 The Ticket Wednesday at the Stars’ media day and reflected on the matter.
Here are the highlights, edited for length and clarity.
How are you able to carry yourself like a veteran at such a young age?
Johnston: “I think at the end of the day, I’m really lucky to be in this situation. It’s been a dream playing in the NHL. It’s kind of cliche, but take it day by day. Not looking too far ahead of things, Obviously you want to look at things a different way and really appreciate the situation you’re in, but just trying your best especially come games, do not look too far ahead, because that can definitely get overwhelming or look too far into the year or whatever. And I think the biggest thing also, I’ve been really lucky to be around some amazing people throughout the organization, teammates, coaches, staff, just everyone. That’s been a huge help for me.”
How did you think your first couple seasons would go?
Johnston: “I think especially my first year, I didn’t really have a lot of expectations for myself. I was just happy to be here. I always had the confidence in myself and belief in myself, but you don’t really know what you can do and how things are going to go. And especially my first year, I didn’t really set my expectations too high. I just was happy to be there, just trying to be a contributor. And then as time has gone on, just got more confident and more comfortable, and then your expectations definitely start to become a little bigger and you push yourself and you always want more for yourself.”
When did you realize you actually had a shot at the NHL?
Johnston: “It was a dream of mine ever since, for as long as I can remember, really. When you’re young, you dream and you don’t understand how hard it is. When I was younger, it was a dream of mine, but it was also just what you thought. You just thought, oh yeah, I’m gonna play in the NHL. Like you don’t realize how hard it is and how long the road and how much work. But I think, as I was getting older, maybe leading up to my NHL draft here, that’s when it started to become a lot more realistic, and something that can actually be a possibility, rather than a young kid just assuming that it’s gonna all work out and it’ll be easy.”
How have you learned to cope with the physical demands of the NHL?
Johnston: “It’s definitely a grind. It’s not easy. Definitely times where your energy levels aren’t where you’d want them to be. And you get tired, maybe some little injuries that are bugging you or or whatnot. But I think the one thing that I’ve learned, especially living with Joe Pavelski, is how to do all the right things. The nutrition, the stuff you can do away from the rink to make sure you’re you’re feeling good each night. And that’s one thing that he did really well, was just all the recovery stuff he does, and it showed how important it was, just based on how good he was playing at an older age. He was amazing throughout his whole career, pretty much. So, I think just learn from him, learn from all the other guys. They’re all professionals here. It’s definitely a big step up from junior, but it’s just learning and trying to be a sponge and learn from the guys that have been through it, done it, and probably super successful at doing it.”
How is it, entering your first season without Pavelski since he retired?
Johnston: “It’ll be different for sure. Maybe a little more different for me. It’s hard to replace a guy like that. Everyone’s gonna miss him a lot. Everyone loves him. He was a huge part of our team, which leaves a bit of a hole, which it’s up to the rest of us to try to fill.”
