Steve Johnson (ice hockey)

Steve Johnson (born March 3, 1966) is an American ice hockey coach and former wing who was an All-American for North Dakota.[1]

Steve Johnson
Born (1966-03-03) March 3, 1966 (age 58)
Grand Forks, North Dakota, U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Wing
Shot Right
Played for North Dakota
Milwaukee Admirals
Phoenix Roadrunners
NHL draft 1987 NHL Supplemental Draft
Vancouver Canucks
Playing career 1984–1990
Coaching career
Current position
TeamMinnesota–Crookston
Biographical details
Alma materUniversity of North Dakota
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1995–1996Fargo-Moorhead Bears
1996–2007Lincoln Stars
2009–2010Fargo Force
2010–2012St. Cloud State (assistant)
2012–2013Nebraska–Omaha (assistant)
2020–PresentMinnesota–Crookston
Head coaching record
Overall470–219–58 (.666) [USHL]
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1997 Clark Cup Championship
2003 Clark Cup Championship

Career

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Johnson joined the ice hockey program at North Dakota for the 1984–85 season. He produced modest numbers in his first two campaigns for the Sioux, helping the team to good but unspectacular finishes. The return of Tony Hrkac and the arrival of Ed Belfour changed the team's fortunes and Johnson was a beneficiary. For his junior season, Johnson's scoring production soared and he nearly tripled his career totals. He finished third on the team in scoring and led the Fighting Sioux to a WCHA title. UND won the NCAA Championship that year and ended up with 40 wins, setting a new NCAA record in the process (only 1993 Maine has won more games). Johnson was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the Supplemental Draft after the season as he was too old to be eligible for the standard NHL Entry Draft.

Several of the stars from the championship team left after 1987 and North Dakota declined the following year, but Johnson got even better. Now captain of the team, Johnson became the focal point for the offense and led the Sioux in scoring. He finished in a three-way tie for the national scoring lead and was in on nearly half of North Dakota's goals for the season (48.9%).[2] He was an All-American and led UND to a third-place finish in the conference tournament.

After graduating, Johnson played two seasons of professional hockey. Though his numbers improved after a trade to the Phoenix Roadrunners, Johnson decided to retire in 1990.

Johnson transitioned into coaching and got his first prominent role as the head coach for the expansion Fargo-Moorhead Bears in the USHL. The team finished well, ending the season 10 game above .500, but the franchise was dissolved after the season. Johnson didn't remain out of a job for long as he was brought in on another expansion team, the Lincoln Stars, the very next year. In the team's inaugural season, Johnson led them to league championship. He kept the Stars near the top of the league for much of his eleven seasons, winning a second Clark Cup in 2003 and finishing as runner-up in 2000. He resigned after the 2007 season but returned with a third USHL team two years later, taking the Fargo Force to a runner-up finish in 2010.[3]

After a sterling career in junior hockey, Johnson returned to the college ranks as an assistant first for St. Cloud State and then Nebraska–Omaha. Afterwards, he returned home to Grand Forks as the director of youth hockey in the area. In January 2020, Johnson was brought in as the head coach for Minnesota–Crookston when the team revived its dormant program as a club team and mulled over bringing it back to varsity status.[4]

Statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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    Regular Season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1983–84 St. Albert Saints AJHL 58 37 60 97 0
1984–85 North Dakota WCHA 25 2 6 8 15
1985–86 North Dakota WCHA 38 8 20 28 18
1986–87 North Dakota WCHA 48 26 44 70 38
1987–88 North Dakota WCHA 42 34 51 85 28
1988–89 Milwaukee Admirals IHL 64 18 34 52 37 2 0 0 0 0
1989–90 Milwaukee Admirals IHL 5 0 2 2 0
1989–90 Phoenix Roadrunners IHL 65 21 49 70 31
NCAA totals 153 70 121 191 99
IHL totals 134 39 85 124 68 2 0 0 0 0

Coaching Record

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USHL

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Team Year Regular season Post season
G W L T OTL SOL Pts Finish Result
Fargo-Moorhead Bears 1995–96 46 27 17 1 1 (56) 3rd
Lincoln Stars 1996–97 54 40 13 0 1 (81) 2nd in South Clark Cup Champions
Lincoln Stars 1997–98 56 38 14 3 1 (77) 3rd in South Clark Cup Semifinals
Lincoln Stars 1998–99 56 29 20 0 7 (65) 3rd in West Clark Cup Semifinals
Lincoln Stars 1999–00 58 41 16 1 (83) 1st in USHL Clark Cup Semifinals
Lincoln Stars 2000–01 56 43 7 0 6 (92) 1st in USHL Clark Cup Finals
Lincoln Stars 2001–02 61 43 15 0 3 (89) 2nd in West Clark Cup Quarterfinals
Lincoln Stars 2002–03 60 37 14 3 6 (83) 1st in USHL Clark Cup Champions
Lincoln Stars 2003–04 60 27 29 4 0 (58) 5th in West None
Lincoln Stars 2004–05 60 37 17 3 3 (80) T–2nd in West Clark Cup Quarterfinals
Lincoln Stars 2005–06 60 34 20 4 2 (74) T–2nd in West Clark Cup Semifinals
Lincoln Stars 2006–07 60 37 20 1 2 (77) 3rd in West Clark Cup Quarterfinals
Fargo Force 2009–10 60 37 17 1 5 (80) 2nd in West Clark Cup Finals
Totals 747 470 219 1 37 20

Awards and honors

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Award Year
All-WCHA First Team 1987–88 [5]
AHCA West First-Team All-American 1987–88 [1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Men's Ice Hockey Award Winners" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  2. ^ "North Dakota Hockey 2018-19 Media Guide" (PDF). North Dakota Fighting Hawks. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  3. ^ "Steve Johnson". Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  4. ^ "Steve Johnson to lead new Minnesota-Crookston ACHA club hockey program". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  5. ^ "WCHA All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year
1987–88
Succeeded by
Preceded by NCAA Ice Hockey Scoring Champion
1987–88 With Dave Capuano and Paul Polillo
Succeeded by