He was drafted by the
Pittsburgh Penguins 67th overall in the
2004 NHL entry draft. Before being drafted, Johnson played for the
St. Albert Saints of the
Alberta Junior Hockey League. After graduating high school and being drafted, Johnson played four seasons with
Dartmouth of
ECAC Hockey in the
NCAA. Following his final season at Dartmouth, Johnson signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Penguins on March 25, 2008. He shortly began his professional career with affiliate the
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the
American Hockey League. In the
2009–10 season, Johnson scored his first career NHL goal in his NHL debut on January 21, 2010, with the Penguins against the
Washington Capitals. He played in 6 games with the Pittsburgh before returning the Wilkes-Barre. On June 7, 2010, he was re-signed to a one-year contract with the Penguins. On September 29, 2011, Johnson was claimed off
waivers by the
Minnesota Wild. In the
2011–12 season, Johnson earned a regular checking line role on the Wild, playing in a career high 77 games to recorded 8 goals and 26 points. Despite his successful season with the Wild, Johnson was released as a free agent and on July 11, 2012, he was signed on a one-year, two-way deal with the
Phoenix Coyotes. With the
NHL lockout in effect, Johnson signed for a brief stint with the
Idaho Steelheads of the
ECHL. Upon conclusion of the lockout he was assigned to AHL affiliate, the
Portland Pirates. He was later recalled by the Coyotes in the shortened
2012–13 season and appeared in 17 games for the Coyotes before on March 13, 2013, he was put on waivers and reassigned to Portland. On July 5, 2013, Johnson was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Boston Bruins. On July 9, 2014, Johnson left the Bruins organization after one season and signed his first contract abroad on a one-year deal with the
Växjö Lakers of the Swedish Hockey League. ==Career statistics==