Jack Johnson’s next stop in hockey takes him back where it all started.
The former Avalanche defenseman and 2022 Stanley Cup champion is joining Ohio State’s women’s hockey program as an associate coach, giving him his first coaching job after a brief run in NHL scouting.
For Johnson, the move is a return to his home state of Ohio, where he grew up before becoming one of the sport’s most highly regarded prospects. He was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2005 NHL Draft and went on to play 19 seasons in the league, logging 1,228 regular-season games with the Los Angeles Kings, Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, and Avalanche.
His time in Colorado stretched across three seasons in two separate stints, and while he wasn’t the headline name on a roster packed with stars, he settled in as a steady veteran and a reliable depth defenseman during one of the most successful runs in franchise history.
Johnson retired after the 2024-25 season and first stayed in the NHL by taking a pro scouting job with the Vancouver Canucks in January. That chapter didn’t last long, and he has now moved on to the bench less than a year later.
At Ohio State, he joins a women’s program that has become one of college hockey’s top powers, with NCAA national titles in 2022 and 2024. Instead of working alongside NHL veterans, Johnson will now be tasked with helping shape the next wave of elite players as he starts what could become a long coaching path.
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