Johnson back on Royals' blue line

Reading, Pa. – The Reading Royals, ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL, announced that the team has agreed to terms with defenseman Derik Johnson.

Last year, Johnson registered 10 points (1g-9a) and 28 penalty minutes, while playing to a +12 in 50 regular-season games with the Royals. Johnson also earned his first chance to play in the American Hockey League when he was called up to the Springfield Falcons, where he played four games in late March and early April. Johnson, who received the Royals’ “Unsung Hero” Award last year, finished the season by playing in eleven postseason games with the team and recording two assists.

Johnson got his first taste of pro hockey late in the 2014-15 season when he joined the Missouri Mavericks for five games after completing his senior season at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. That year at UMD, Johnson registered five points (1g-4a) and a team-leading 63 penalty minutes in 45 for the Bulldogs, who earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Northeast Regional Finals before being eliminated by Boston University. Johnson, who led UMD in penalty minutes twice during his college career, registered 17 points (2g-15a) and 211 penalty minutes in 108 career games with the Bulldogs. Johnson’s father, Jim, who had a 13-year NHL career, is an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oilers.