Steven Stamkos might be the face of the franchise for a generation of Tampa Bay Lightning fans, but no one embodied the underdog nature of the most recent string of success for our non-traditional hockey market than Tyler Johnson. On Monday, the former Bolt forward called it a career.
Johnson signed with the organization as a free agent back in 2011 after putting up 282 points (128 goals, 154 assists) in 266 career games for the Spokane Chiefs in the WHL. Despite the impressive offensive numbers, an U20 World Juniors Gold Medal, a WHL scoring title, a WHL playoff MVP award, and a Memorial Cup, he went undrafted.