Former Penguin Adam Johnson dies after suffering injury in game
Former Penguins forward Adam Johnson died on Saturday following a devastating neck injury suffered in a game in Sheffield, England. He was 29 years old.
Johnson was playing for the Nottingham Panthers in a game against the Sheffield Steelers in the top British league on Saturday. Video from the game broadcast shows Johnson carrying the puck up ice before colliding with a Sheffield defenseman, whose skate made contact with Johnson's neck as Johnson fell forward. Johnston attempted to skate to the bench with assistance from a teammate as blood pooled on the ice and down the front of his jersey. He collapsed onto the ice, where he was tended to by medics in the arena before being taken to a nearby hospital.
Johnson, a native of Hibbing, Minnesota, was an undrafted free agent signing by the Penguins in 2017 out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth after Johnson impressed in the team's development camp that summer. He spent the next three years in the Penguins' system, playing 185 games in the AHL for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and 13 games in the NHL. His one goal in the NHL came in front of his hometown crowd in Minnesota:
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) October 13, 2019
PENGUINS
Adam Johnson and Sam Lafferty with their first NHL goal pucks after each scoring in Minnesota
Johnson went on to play in Sweden with the Malmo Redhawks, the AHL with the Ontario Reign and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and in Germany with the Augsburger Panther before moving to England and signing with Nottingham for this season.
Johnson was one of the players coming up through Wilkes-Barre when I was still doing my weekly "Wilkes-Barre Watch" features, so I got to speak with him quite a bit during his three years as a Penguin. Here's the story I did on him on the eve of his NHL debut in 2019, after he took the time to call me after arriving in Nashville from Wilkes-Barre. He was one of the more pleasant, polite prospects I've ever had the pleasure of speaking with since I've been covering the team, and that's why it was such a good feeling to see him crack the NHL roster when he did. He was just a good human and easy to root for. It's such a devastating tragedy, and his family, friends and teammates will be in my thoughts.
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THE ASYLUM
Former Penguin Adam Johnson dies after suffering injury in game
Former Penguins forward Adam Johnson died on Saturday following a devastating neck injury suffered in a game in Sheffield, England. He was 29 years old.
Johnson was playing for the Nottingham Panthers in a game against the Sheffield Steelers in the top British league on Saturday. Video from the game broadcast shows Johnson carrying the puck up ice before colliding with a Sheffield defenseman, whose skate made contact with Johnson's neck as Johnson fell forward. Johnston attempted to skate to the bench with assistance from a teammate as blood pooled on the ice and down the front of his jersey. He collapsed onto the ice, where he was tended to by medics in the arena before being taken to a nearby hospital.
Johnson, a native of Hibbing, Minnesota, was an undrafted free agent signing by the Penguins in 2017 out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth after Johnson impressed in the team's development camp that summer. He spent the next three years in the Penguins' system, playing 185 games in the AHL for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and 13 games in the NHL. His one goal in the NHL came in front of his hometown crowd in Minnesota:
PENGUINS
Adam Johnson and Sam Lafferty with their first NHL goal pucks after each scoring in Minnesota
Johnson went on to play in Sweden with the Malmo Redhawks, the AHL with the Ontario Reign and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and in Germany with the Augsburger Panther before moving to England and signing with Nottingham for this season.
Johnson was one of the players coming up through Wilkes-Barre when I was still doing my weekly "Wilkes-Barre Watch" features, so I got to speak with him quite a bit during his three years as a Penguin. Here's the story I did on him on the eve of his NHL debut in 2019, after he took the time to call me after arriving in Nashville from Wilkes-Barre. He was one of the more pleasant, polite prospects I've ever had the pleasure of speaking with since I've been covering the team, and that's why it was such a good feeling to see him crack the NHL roster when he did. He was just a good human and easy to root for. It's such a devastating tragedy, and his family, friends and teammates will be in my thoughts.
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