Power Player 3/13/2008

Inside the Spokane Arena, an estimated 12,000 fans look down at the ice waiting for the puck to drop in the center of the rink. When the puck falls, Liberty Lake resident and Spokane Chiefs center Tyler Johnson fields it to a wingman. In a frenzy of high-speed skating, a spray of shredded ice and some hard-hitting body contact, Johnson fires a shot and scores a goal for the Chiefs.

A Central Valley High School junior, Johnson made his rookie-year debut with the Chiefs this season and has helped the team become the top-ranked Western Conference team in the Western Hockey League. On Friday night, Johnson and his Chiefs teammates will take on the Portland Winter Hawks at the Spokane Arena in one of the final games of the season before taking a shot at winning the WHL title.

"This is my first season playing for the Chiefs," Johnson said. "It's been a goal of mine my whole life. I tried out two other times before I made it. I love this sport. I pretty much grew up playing hockey. My mom, dad and grandpa all played. It's a lot of fun, and I have a strong passion for the game."

Johnson started ice skating just after his second birthday at Eagles Ice Arena in North Spokane where his mom, Debbie Johnson, taught lessons. By 3 years old, he was skating on his own and played on his first hockey team at age 4, coached by his dad Ken Johnson. He's played in local leagues since then and spent springs playing hockey in Canada. Johnson was selected by the Chiefs in the 11th round of the 2005 WHL Bantam Draft, and scored 56 goals and 120 points in 39 games with the Coeur d'Alene Lakers in the 2006-07 Northern Pacific Hockey League.

In his rookie year with the Chiefs, Johnson, 17, has played 65 games, scoring 13 goals and assisting on 19 more for the Chiefs. He's helped put the Chiefs in the top spot in the Western Conference in the WHL in what may go down as Spokane's most successful regular season ever. The Chiefs have notched 102 points in the standings to date. The 1995-96 team currently holds the record for the most successful season with 104 points. The Chiefs are currently tied for first in the Western Conference with the Tri-City Americans, and the two teams will play on Saturday night in Kennewick.

"He's really evolved as a player," Spokane Chiefs General Manager Tim Speltz said. "At one time, his mother was our power skating coach at Ice World USA in Liberty Lake. I've watched him grow up, and he's always been a really good player. He's really improved very quickly this season, and really exceeded all of our expectations. He's got the confidence to play against anybody in the league. He's competent, responsible and a very good player. He's an excellent young man who is very committed to the game, and our coaches repeatedly say he's a pleasure to work with."

To play for the Spokane Chiefs as a junior in high school, Johnson had to make some tradeoffs to balance his school schedule, practice, games and travel time with the team. Current high school students who play for the Chiefs attend a specialized program at Ferris High School, but Johnson wanted to stay enrolled at CVHS with his friends. He worked out a schedule with the CVSD, attends several classes each morning and meets for practice after morning classes at Eagles Ice Arena. An A student, Johnson attends a weekly study group for Chiefs players and plans to take a full summer school schedule.

"We practice every day except if we have a series of games," Johnson said. "Occasionally we take a day off, but we mainly practice every day. Typically we practice for an hour to an hour and a half and work on things to get better. We practice getting into different situations, plays and different strategies. We also do some weightlifting and conditioning after practice."

In his 14-year hockey career, Johnson has only sustained one major injury, breaking his collarbone in a game against the Spokane Flyers. Playing for the Coeur d'Alene Lakers, Johnson said he narrowed in on his opponent for a body check, but the force of the impact broke his collarbone. And he's had his share of fights, but it's not what the sport is all about.

"I think that's an unfair stereotype," Johnson said. "There's a lot more to hockey than just fighting. It does happen. There's going to be fights because everyone is really intense and really competitive. But it's not what we look for and time in the penalty box doesn't help."

Johnson plans to continue playing for the Chiefs for another season, attend college in Canada on a hockey scholarship after graduating from CVHS and take a shot at playing in the National Hockey League.

"Tyler is a really strong skater," Ken Johnson said. "He has the ability to see the ice and see the next play in his head before it happens. He's an undersized hockey player, but makes up for that by being such a good skater. Hockey is a fast, exciting game and it's exciting to watch him play."

Profiles:
Tyler Johnson

Place and date of birth
July 29, 1990 Spokane

Family
Parents, Ken and Debbie Johnson

Pets
Dog, Chocolate Labrador Retriever Roxy

Hobbies
Hanging out with friends, playing ping pong, pickle ball

Last book I read
"To Kill a Mockingbird," by Harper Lee

Name of fi rst hockey team
The Slush Puppies

Most memorable game
When I was about 10 playing in a summer league up in Edmonton, Alberta, we went into double overtime to get into the semifi nals. I scored the goal to get us into the fi nals and we won the championship.