OHL Prospect Profile: Wyatt Johnston

Wyatt Johnston has shown an impressive offensive ceiling thus far in the ’18-19 season, showcasing elite vision and playmaking abilities, as well as an innate sense of his and his teammates positioning on the ice. Johnston projects as a late first or early second round pick for the 2019 OHL Draft.

– Wyatt Johnston –

Toronto Marlboros (GTHL) | Center | 2019 OHL Draft Eligible

Toronto, Ontario | 6-foot-0, 155-pounds | May 14th, 2003

Wyatt Johnston is an intelligent and trustworthy center who gets the job done under any circumstances. Perhaps not as flashy as some of this year’s top prospects, but Johnston is reliable day in and day out with a consistent effort level and ability to generate offence through his high-end hockey smarts and incredible playmaking.

Related: Check out Prospect Pipeline’s 2019 OHL Draft Rankings

Arguably a pass-first type player, Johnston also has impressive puck skills and can slow the game down with a combination of speed and poise. However, he can also light the lamp with regularity by reading the ice and positioning himself in a soft spot where he is able to receive a pass and quickly release a high-danger shot.

Strengths:

  • Hockey Sense
  • Playmaking
  • Skating

Johnston’s greatest asset comes by way of his immense intellect and understanding of the game and the responsibilities of his position. He is able to control the pace of the game and can be a puck possession machine at times. He is tremendous at finding the soft spots on the ice, as well as back-checking deep into the defensive zone to provide support for his team.

Related: Check out the Top 20 Performers of the Toronto Titans Early Bird Tournament

A skilled and efficient skater with a smooth stride, Johnston uses his edges and a quick first three steps to be an elusive forward. Combined with quick and creative hands, he can overwhelming to defend. Johnson also utilizes his vision of the ice to be a key puck distributor at both even strength and on the powerplay. A responsible center, Johnston is regularly trusted on the penalty kill to break up passes and eliminate scoring opportunities.

Area of Improvement:

  • Shot

Wyatt Johnston can certainly be considered as a multi-faceted center, as proven by his eight goals and 14 points in 14 games of tournament action thus far. However, only a small portion of his goals come by beating a goaltender clean with an accurate wrist shot. The majority of his goals will come after moving the goalie side-to-side and taking advantage on cross-ice passes.

For Johnston to be considered among the top tier of ’03-born snipers, he will need to improve upon the power of his release, as well as being able to get off a quick and accurate shot under pressure. Doing so would make Johnston far more potent on the rush, as well as from the half-wall on the man advantage.

Future Potential:

In all, Johnston has made his case to be considered amongst the best two-way centermen in the ’03 draft class. He has shown an impressive offensive ceiling thus far in the 2018-19 season, showcasing elite vision and playmaking abilities, as well as an innate sense of his and his teammates positioning on the ice. A trusted all situations center, Johnston’s goal-scoring acumen may be underrated too.

For now, we project Johnston as a late first or early second round talent for the 2019 OHL Draft, although he may not receive the consensus love amongst scouting outlets for another few months.

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