Monsters Announce Two Roster Moves
Feb 29, 2020The AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, top affiliate of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, announced Saturday that the Blue Jackets recalled center Ryan MacInnis from the Monsters. The Monsters also announced Saturday that the club signed defenseman Steve Johnson to an AHL contract for the remainder of the 2019-20 season.
A 6’3”, 185 lb. left-shooting native of St. Louis, MO, MacInnis, 24, was originally selected by the Arizona Coyotes in the second round (43rd overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft and accepted a qualifying offer from Columbus on July 16, 2019. In nine appearances for the Blue Jackets this season, the first of his NHL career, Macinnis notched 0-1-1 with a +1 rating and added 7-23-30 with 22 penalty minutes and a +7 rating in 45 appearances for Cleveland. In 245 career AHL appearances for the Springfield Falcons, Tucson Roadrunners and the Monsters spanning parts of five seasons from 2016-20, Macinnis logged 25-60-85 with 133 penalty minutes and a -10 rating.
Prior to his professional career, MacInnis contributed 79-101-180 with 95 penalty minutes and a -21 rating in 192 appearances for the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers spanning parts of three seasons from 2013-16. In 41 USHL appearances for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program in 2012-13, MacInnis notched 8-6-14 with six penalty minutes and a -13 rating and helped Team USA claim Bronze Medal honors at the 2016 IIHF U20 World Junior Championships.
A 6’1”, 185 lb. left-shooting native of Excelsior, MN, Johnson, 25, was originally selected by the Los Angels Kings in the fourth round (120th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft and signed a pro tryout (PTO) contract with Cleveland on December 16, 2019. In 25 appearances for the Monsters this season, Johnson posted 0-2-2 with ten penalty minutes and a -3 rating and added 1-11-12 with six penalty minutes and a -6 rating in 25 appearances for the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers. In 38 career AHL appearances for the Ontario Reign, Hershey Bears and Cleveland spanning parts of three seasons from 2017-20, Johnson logged 0-3-3 with ten penalty minutes and a -9 rating and added 8-28-36 with 12 penalty minutes and a -9 rating in 80 career ECHL appearances for the Reading Royals, South Carolina Stingrays and Wheeling spanning parts of the past wo seasons.
Prior to his professional career, Johnson supplied 6-34-40 with 28 penalty minutes and a +6 rating in 199 NCAA appearances for the University of Minnesota spanning four seasons from 2014-18 and notched 5-26-31 with six penalty minutes and a +23 rating in 56 appearances for the USHL’s Omaha Lancers during the 2013-14 season.