Undrafted 7th year defenseman Ryan Johnston(89) switches up top overseas leagues for a third time, landing in Finland with Liiga, signing a 1-year deal for HPK.
The former 3-year Colgate University Raiders‘ blue liner started his pro career on a 2-year NHL entry level deal with Montreal Canadiens that led to 10 games over two seasons, but no qualifying offer to stay.
From there, he departed for a pair of campaigns in the SHL.
The 5’10” 179 lbs. blue liner maybe somewhat oddly returned for 2019/2020, signing a 1-year AHL deal with San Diego Gulls.
He left for Germany during the pandemic, signing with Iserlohn Roosters and doing quite well with 3 goals and 10 assists in 17 DEL games with a +7 rating.
The 29-year old is off to a bit of a hot start with 4 assists in 9 games to start 2021/2022 and could find a good league to play out his career in.