The Wildcats continue to add toughness to their forward group with the addition of “gritty” power-forward, Alex Johanson.

Johanson, measures at 6’0” 195-pounds and comes from Skokie, IL. He will be transferring to the University of Arizona after spending two seasons with Trine University (NCAA DIII). Before his time with Trine Johanson spent his junior career with the El Paso Rihno’s (WSHL) and Atlanta Capitals (NA3HL) – putting up impressive numbers!

During his 2016-17 season with the El Passo Rhino’s Johanson tallied 92 points (43 goals, 49 assists) in 51 games played. If you think that was a breakout season, you’d be wrong. The year before that, in a different league all-together (NA3HL), Johanson produced 72 points (44 goals, 28 assists ) in just 44 games played with the Atlanta Capitals.

“I chose the University of Arizona to receive a quality education and better my future at the Eller School of Business, “said Alex Johanson. “I strive to become a piece of the puzzle within the winning culture that has already been established amongst the U of A Hockey program.”

Johanson’s brings a ton of versatility to the lineup as he can play center or wing, and wins faceoffs at an elite level. His game can be best descried as someone who thrives in the difficult parts of the rink. He can be expected to win small battles and has great hands around the net, providing valuable net front presence.

“The thing that really stands out about Alex is he is a tremendous competitor,” said coach Berman. “You can’t have enough guys like that in your room. He brings leadership, experience and the kind of work ethic we demand in our culture. It’s no secret that we wanted to add grit to our lineup. To add another guy like this around our speed and skill really fills out the kind of depth we seek to make a deep run in March. The national tournament revealed a lot of humbling lessons for our group, adding a kid like Alex goes a long ways towards us taking that next step.”