Every World Juniors has its breakout start. Alexis Lafrenière commanded the spotlight with his goal-scoring ability back in 2020; Trevor Zegras' spin passes and dangles thrust him into the same rarified air a year later. Kent Johnson's highlight-reel ability gives him a chance to make his mark at this year's tournament.

Truly creative players are rare in hockey, but Johnson is one of them. There is a real effort in his game to not only put the puck in the back of the net but to do so in unique ways. He approaches the game with an artist's mentality, treating every offensive chance as both an opportunity to get his team ahead and to express his high talents.

This attitude has drawbacks, of course, and we will touch on them in this article, but the constant experimentation is also expanding Johnso