The grit of the team: Ross Johnston. “Ross the Boss” is the nickname given to him by the Islanders fans, due to his size, strength, and aggression over his opponents. Johnston is a younger version of Matt Martin and is the leading fighter on the team. This season he continued to play his role as one of the best enforcers in the NHL.

The Good:

Johnston isn’t a flashy player, as he is an enforcer and main job isn’t scoring goals.  He had six fights this season and won all but one where he took on NHL heavyweight Ryan Reaves. The Johnston vs Reaves fight did not disappoint as they both went back and forth. Johnston does his job and plays smart defensively which is all that is needed from him.

The Bad:

Johnston only played 32 games this season out of a possible 67. This is not Johnston’s fault, however. He has trouble getting into the lineup due to the abundance of bottom-six forwards such as Matt Martin, Cal Clutterbuck and Leo Komarov. This is the only thing bad you can say about Johnston as he always plays hard and does his job. The coaching staff should try and get him into the lineup more.

The Expectations:

Johnston’s expectations are to hit hard, fight to energize the team from time to time and to play smart defensive hockey. What’s good with Johnston is that he always plays his role and does his job, but from time to time can score some goals. Ross Johnston very much so lived up to his expectations.

The Moment of the Season: 

On December 9, after Semyon Varlamov made an incredible breakaway stop on Lightning forward (and former Islander) Cory Conacher, the Isles then turned around broke out of the zone fed Johnston the puck to take it in for a 2-on-1. He skated in the right side of the zone with Josh Bailey on the left and ripped a shot off the far post and in. It was a huge momentum shift and a huge goal for the Islanders in a game they eventually won 5-1 against a strong Tampa Bay Lightning team.

The Verdict:

Ross Johnston is a very strong and hardworking individual, and when he is on the ice the other team should know to watch out. He even got top line minutes this year. You never have to worry about him on the defensive side of the puck as he always makes the right plays. Johnston also has a pretty good shot, so he can also score some goals when you don’t expect it. He is everything you want in a bottom-six forward.

The Grade: 91/A-

John Smark