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***frithjofr*** · 04-21-2019, 11:57 PM

(First media post!)

"I never thought this would happen, you know?"

Darnell Johnson is a name probably only known to those with a keen interest in NCAA Hockey. A defenseman playing in the Big Ten for Division One Notre Dame, Darnell has had an interesting road on his way to Anchorage. Today we'll be recapping Johnson's career thus far, and sitting down with the man himself to discuss everything from his humble origins to his career aspirations and his favorite sandwich. We've joined Darnell at his family home in St. Petersburg, Florida in the shadow of Tampa Bay following the wrap up of the NCAA season. In this off-season Johnson entered the SMJHL draft, going undrafted. Shortly after the dust settled, however, it was announced that the Anchorage Armada had picked him up as a free agent.

The young d-man has been nothing short of a stalwart for his collegiate team, earning him an "A" for the first time this season and the nickname "Ol' Reliable," which is currently plastered over his name plaque in the Fighting Irish dressing room. Positioning, a lethal poke-check and an unerring discipline have been hallmarks of his play this year, and a self admitted pass-first mentality have netted him a career high in assists despite relatively few minutes per game. Darnell never seems rushed, and never seems to feel the pressure. There's a calmness whenever he steps onto the ice, and sitting in his family's living room he seems calm, cooler than the iced tea we've both been sipping on.

Q: "Not a lot of hockey players come from Florida, and I reckon even fewer of them make a stop at Notre Dame along the way. Do you mind sharing with us a little bit about life here before hockey?"

DJ: "Well, when I was a kid I was always out doing something. Running around, having a blast. Don't remember when, but one day my pops signed me up for a soccer league. I didn't want to play, all my friends were playing peewee, and man... They'd grill me if they knew I was playing soccer. Soccer was for girls, you know? But pops already signed me up, so it wasn't really my decision. [Laughs] So, yeah, I started playing soccer, and it wasn't too bad. Something to do, to keep me out of trouble. Come high school and I'm still playing, in the off-seasons I'm conditioning with the cross country guys, I'm running track in the spring. Just doin' it all, you know?

"I actually got into Notre Dame on an academic scholarship, not a lot of people realize but old schools like that, if you can get in, you can get a lot of help financially. They're good people, take care of you. I had a few offers to play soccer for some schools, and if I split with track I could just about get a full ride, but I didn't see myself playing sports professionally, just didn't think I was capable. Going to Notre Dame was something like a dream come true, just getting accepted to a school like that was something else. I went and walked onto the soccer team and that was cool, they're a great bunch of guys. In the off-season, one of my teammate's roommates told me I should try out for the hockey team.

"I was like, nah, I've never skated before. He asked if I've ever rollerbladed, and I mean, yeah. Back home, you know? Told me it was real similar, and he'd help me out. Truth be told, I don't know what I was thinking but I took him up on it. It's not like I took off right away, but I guess something just clicked for me. Skating, I mean. It's not so different that you don't recognize it. Soon enough I was skating, and I was shooting, and my buddy's roommate wanted to try out so I went with him. We went on together, skated, did some shooting, I dunno. Guess they liked what they saw. [Laughs]"

Q: "Would you say anything carries over from soccer to hockey?"

DJ: "You know, not really. When I was down here growing up, we'd play 7-a-side's in the off season, like a rec league thing. That's about as close to hockey as soccer gets, six field players and a goalie. I hear some people sometimes say hockey is like soccer on ice, and I mean, if that helps them rationalize it, then sure. But there's so many different rules, the rink is smaller, more narrow. Hockey goes much faster. Now, one of the few things that does carry over, I guess, that's your mental aspect. Positioning isn't the same, but you've got the same ideas, right? Show them to the outside, try and shut down passing lanes, block shots, deny the middle. Keeping cool, keeping aware, all that's important."

Q: "Did you watch hockey before trying out?"

DJ: "Yeah, actually. Played some street hockey down here when I was young. Watched some hockey on TV, can't say I ever really followed it, but I knew the rules and stuff, it wasn't hard for me to brush up. You know those Football Manager video games? Same company has one for hockey, I played that."

Taking a short break from the interview, Darnell shows me to his family's garage where, sure enough, he's got some of his old sticks from his street hockey days. An old, crumbling foam sleeve down the length of the shaft. A plastic head, scruffed by asphalt all along the bottom. One doubts this stick has ever heard of tape. Back to the house, Darnell invites me into his childhood bedroom, showing off all the various trophies and medals he's collected. Soccer, track and field, cross country. His letterman jack from highschool hangs prominently in his closet, the letter decorated heavily with pins and bars from various sports. His favorite soccer player's jersey, signed, rests in a shadow box atop a dresser. Hats from each of the Tampa Bay sports teams rest along a recently dusted shelf in his closet. Yes. Even the Barracudas.

DJ: "When I was little I wanted to be a star. I remember everything my parents wanted me to do, if they wanted me to do something, man, all they had to do was tell me... In the NFL they eat their vegetables, and I'd eat them. Y'know, Warren Sapp helped is daddy move mulch, and I'd be out there spreading mulch. But then, you know, reality hit. Everybody telling me I'm too small, or I don't have the speed, or the skill, whatever. You hear it a thousand times and it gets you down. You start believing it, no matter how much you don't want to, and they were probably right. I love soccer, but it wasn't going nowhere for me. To sort of... stumble into my calling, something I'm good at? All because I decided to walk on - skate on - and took a chance on myself. I never thought this would happen, you know? It's a dream come true."

Darnell had opened up in a sobering way as he stood in his childhood bedroom, amidst a collection of trophies, some he couldn't even remember earning. But none for the sport that had put him on the map. We took another short break and returned to the family living room, sat back down with our tea. The TV had been muted for a while, but as we settled back in to resume the interview, Darnell couldn't help but follow along with the subtitles for a recap of the recent draft. Darnell had gone undrafted, but he still had a keen interest, following the movements of some of his former teammates and division rivals.

Q: "Looking back on this season at Notre Dame, what do you think made this year so special?"

DJ: "Well, the cliche is that we had a great group of guys, but we really did. I'm kind of coming into my own now, too, and that's another layer. I actually skated less time this season, but had more offensive production than ever before. I'd come on, break up a pass through the neutral zone, steal a puck or two, poke someone entering the zone, stretch a pass on a breakaway. It felt like I was having a meaningful impact on the game every time I went out, and that made me okay with taking a couple less minutes a game. Quality, you know?"

Q: "Are there aspects of the game where you'd like to see yourself improve?"

DJ: "Honestly, just about everywhere. I'm always watching, always studying, trying to find better positioning. Trying to bulk up this off season for sure. I mean, I get it, I'm not the prototypical d-man. I'm small. Heard it all before. Stuff like that's gonna matter down the line, so I'm really looking to get a jump on it, and while I wouldn't mind scoring now and again, I'm still happy so long as I can keep up a decent production."

Q: "What was it like for you on draft night?"

DJ: "I pretty much knew the score, you know? I'd had talks with a few teams, but nothing serious. I can say that everybody I spoke to was professional and sort of told me what to expect. Going into it, y'know, that was hard to explain to the family. Getting drafted wasn't super important to me. In a way going undrafted left me with a little more freedom. On the one hand, that freedom's nice. On the other hand that freedom's terrifying, right? Like my fate is entirely in my own hands."

Q: "What did it mean for you to get picked up by a team after the draft?"

DJ: "It meant the world to me, you know? Here I am with my chance to play pro, and I never thought that would happen. To think that I'm gonna be able to afford to give back to my parents now, and to think that... I mean, somebody out there might be wearing a jersey with my name on it someday? It's something else. I never thought I'd have this sort of opportunity. To be honest with you, I feel like I could wake up at any minute, you know? Anytime now I'm just gonna wake up and this last week would have all been a dream."

Q:"Anchorage is quite a different place than sunshiney Florida. Was that a consideration for you when you accepted their offer?"

DJ: "It's about as far as away as you can get from here, too. I've actually got family up in Valdez, so, maybe I'll finally be able to visit. I'm looking forward to the move, though, and stocking up on my winter gear. If anybody reading this interview has some recommendations, drop me a link on twitter. [Laughs] Location was a concern, but honestly, as long as I'm doing something I love I'll be happy."

Q: “What do you think you’ll miss the most from home?”

DJ: “Well, you know, I’ve been away before. I’ll miss the weather, I’ll miss seeing some friends and family. Most of all though, I already know I’m gonna be missing mama’s cooking.”

Q: “Mama’s cooking?”

DJ: “Ooh yeah, mama’s cooking. She makes a mean fried bologna, sauce is perfect, rye bread… She makes a lights out ziti, too, or lasagna. It’s got everything a growing boy needs.[Laughs] Now, I know all her recipes, or I can just give her a call, but… it just isn’t the same when I make them.”

Q: “What are you most excited for in the coming season?”

DJ: “I’ve been following the team for a little while now, so I guess I’m just excited to get up there, meet everybody, get into the training camp and get going on the pre-season. They picked up a guy recently named Gabe Johnson, and it’s looking like he’s the guy I’ll be paired with. Johnson & Johnson, you know?"

Q: “Let’s wrap up here, last question. Is there anything you’d like to say to the Armada fans out there?”

DJ: “Yeah, absolutely. My name’s Darnell Johnson, and I hope I live up to your expectations. I hope you can feel safe when I’m on the ice, and I hope you enjoy watching me play as much as I’m going to enjoy playing for you.”