Catching up with the Cats: Patrick Johnson

Patrick Johnson is one of the most memorable names to ever put on a Bobcats sweater. He is 2nd all-time in games played, 2nd all-time in points, 2nd all-time in goals, 5th all-time in assists, and one of 2 Bobcats in franchise history to reach the 200 game mark (Chase Beacom). “I could talk about it forever, how much that place means to me. Obviously, Chase, him and I were there for four years together. I honestly couldn’t have done it without each group of guys every single year, the coaching staff. Like I said, when you want to go to a place, you want to like where you’re going, and when you like where you’re going, when you like where you’re living, when you like where you’re playing, when you like the staff, when you like your teammates, everything on the ice falls into place. I was fortunate enough to have some of those accolades, but by far it was not just me doing those things, there was way more that went into that,” Johnson said. 

Johnson currently attends Robert Morris University. In 27 games played, he’s found the back of the net 3 times and tallied 4 assists to add up to 7 points on the season. Voice of the Bobcats, Brandon Luisi, caught up with Johnson to reflect on his time in Bismarck. “It [Bismarck] is, in a lot of people’s opinion, mine especially, the greatest place to play junior hockey. The billet families, the organization, the staff top to bottom, from the community, to the people you get to meet there, the connections you get to make with fans, and other billet families and their kids, the network you just build there is really cool and really special.”

Johnson was a captain for the Bobcats for a number of years and got to mentor some of the players that are on the ice today, such as Kyle Doll, Ian Engel, Evan Hunter among others. However, Johnson talked about how crucial the people that led him in his early years were to his success as a captain, but also as a human being. “My first year, when I came up there, a guy by the name of Austin Schwartz took me under his wing the week I was there. Every time I was at the rink, he was making sure I was feeling comfortable, and making sure I felt a part of the group, which made a world of difference. That next season, which was my first full season, he was named the captain. He was unbelievable to me. He’s one of my best friends.”

One of the Bobcats that Johnson shared the ice with a lot was Julian Beaumont. Beaumont will join Johnson next season at RMU, and eventually Bobcats defenseman Tristen Trevino will also join Beaumont and Johnson as he is committed there. Johnson expressed his excitement to not only reunite with Beaumont on the ice, but also off the ice as well. “Beau’s a great kid. We always had fun together. Throughout those couple of years, we were playing with each other on the same line. You know what you’re going to get from Beau every single night. He’s got an unbelievable shot, good hands, he’s got a motor that doesn’t stop too. Anytime one of your friends is coming to play with you at school it’s going to be a blast” 

For the full interview between Brandon Luisi and Patrick Johnson, hit the play button below!