Ryan Johnston
Ryan Johnston (born February 14, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He was born in Sudbury, Ontario, is 5 ft 10 in tall, weighs 180 lb, and shoots right. He played three years of college hockey with the Colgate Raiders before turning pro in 2015 when he signed with the Montreal Canadiens on a two-year, two-way contract. He spent 2015–16 with the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, the St. John’s IceCaps, and made his NHL debut on April 5, 2016, due to injuries on the Canadiens’ defence.
After 10 NHL games over two seasons, he left the Canadiens as an impending restricted free agent and signed with Luleå HF of the Swedish Hockey League in June 2017. In 2017–18 he had 2 goals and 11 points in 36 games for Luleå. He was loaned to HC Lugano of the Swiss National League for the playoffs in February 2018, where he posted 10 points in 17 games.
On September 15, 2018, Johnston moved to Mora IK in the SHL for the 2018–19 season, recording 3 goals and 22 points in 50 regular-season games. Mora were relegated to the Allsvenskan after the Kvalserien. As a free agent, he returned to North America and signed a one-year AHL contract with the Toronto Marlies on July 18, 2019. After attending the Marlies’ training camp, he started the season as a healthy scratch before being traded to the San Diego Gulls (Anaheim Ducks affiliate) for future considerations on October 31, 2019. After his contract with the Gulls, he again pursued opportunities in Europe and joined the Iserlohn Roosters of the DEL on December 18, 2020.
His sister Rebecca Johnston plays for Canada’s national women’s team and is a two-time Olympic gold medallist. Their uncle Mike Johnston was the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2014–15 and part of 2015–16, and has served as an assistant coach with the Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 05:37 (CET).