*This story is from last season ahead of the Islanders facing Ross Johnston for the first time.*
EAST MEADOW, NY — Ross Johnston was a fan favorite during his seven seasons on Long Island.
Despite never being an everyday player in the New York Islanders’ lineup, he seemed to be the ultimate team player, standing up for teammates any chance he got.
“The decision to put Ross Johnston on waivers wasn’t an easy one,” Islanders head coach Lane Lambert said after the Islanders placed Johnston on waivers on Oct. 9. “There’s certain things that go into it that I won’t discuss, but that’s where we’re at right now.”
With the free agent acquisition of Julien Gauthier and the two-year extension given to Hudson Fasching, one could see that Johnston’s time on the island was coming to a close as the Islanders needed to clear his annual cap hit of $1.12 million.
On Oct. 10, Johnston was claimed by the Anaheim Ducks, joining former Bridgeport Islanders head coach Brent Thompson, who left the Islanders organization after a 10-year stint to become an NHL assistant.
The Ducks haven’t been good this year and have dropped nine of their last 10 games. The good news is that Johnston has been able to play, suiting up for 19 of the Ducks’ 27 games this season.
He has two assists on the season with three fights, averaging 7:30 minutes per game.
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Johnston’s former teammates are ultra-excited to see him again Wednesday night.
“It’ll be great to see Ross tonight. Happy for him,” Anders Lee told The Hockey News. “He’s gone out and had an opportunity to play and is doing a good job of fitting in and taking advantage of that.
“Just one of the best guys we’ve played with. Just the way he handled himself through all of his time here and he was always a joy to be around. And obviously, he was always there to protect the boys when he needed to. So, as I said, he’s just a really consummate pro who handled things with grace and continued to work through all that, the time when he might not have been on the ice, so it’s paying off for him now, all the work he’s put in.”
Johnston, who signed with the Islanders as a free agent in 2015, played 134 games with the Islanders, serving as a healthy scratch most nights.
Seeing him cheer during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs in the Carolina Hurricanes press box, one could tell how much he loved his teammates and how not playing wasn’t going to change that.
“I’m really excited to see him. I’m glad to see him playing and get an opportunity to showcase what he has every day. He comes to work every day. He’s ready to put the work in,” Casey Cizikas said. “And it didn’t matter what was going on and what was happening. When his name was called, he was ready to go, and that’s kind of the biggest thing.
“It’s tough in those situations, and for him to persevere through that and keep going every single day just shows the character he has. It shows the way he was brought up, and there are so many good things I could say about him. There’s nothing bad. He’s an unbelievable guy. He’s easy to get along with. He’s easy to talk to, and he cares about his teammates, so I’m excited to play against him and maybe get under his skin a little bit, jokingly, but it’s gonna be a fun night.
THN asked Cizikas if seeing Johnston grind every day fueled the starters.
“It’s not easy being in that situation and, sometimes, it’s hard to kind of talk to him about it because it’s not a situation that a lot of us are familiar with,” Cizikas said. “So when you see him get into the lineup and you see him working, that definitely fires you up because you know he’s been itching for a while. He’s been waiting for that opportunity. And he always did his job.
“He always had his teammates’ back. He answered the bell when he needed to. He never backed down from anybody. He’s just one of a kind, and he means a lot to this organization, even though he’s not here.”
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Lambert loved coaching Johnston.
“One of my favorite guys that I’ve coached. Just a good guy to be around,” Lambert said. “He went through some tough times with being healthy scratched a lot, and always came to the rink, always worked, always had a good attitude, and nice to see him get an opportunity.”
THN sat down with Matt Martin the day Johnston ended up on waivers. The two have a big brother-little brother relationship, and Martin opened up about what Johnston’s meant to him.
Here’s that story:
Related: Matt Martin Reflects on Ross Johnston’s Islanders Tenure
