Said the NHL in a statement, “The National Hockey League family mourns the passing of former Pittsburgh Penguin Adam Johnson. Our prayers and deepest condolences go to his family, friends and teammates.”
Born in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, Johnson went undrafted after playing two seasons at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Penguins on July 6. 2017, and that season had 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) in 70 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.
He had two assists in six games for the Penguins in 2018-19 and one goal and one assist in seven games for Pittsburgh the next season. His lone NHL goal came in a 7-4 win at the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 12, 2019.
After the Penguins, Johnson played for Malmo in the Swedish Hockey League, and then came back to North America to play in the AHL for Ontario (Los Angeles Kings) and Lehigh Valley (Philadelphia Flyers). Last season he played for Augsburger in Germany before coming to Nottingham.
“The Elite Ice Hockey League is heartbroken to confirm that Nottingham Panthers forward Adam Johnson sadly passed away following a freak accident in Saturday’s game between Sheffield Steelers and Nottingham Panthers,” read a league statement. “The thoughts and condolences of everyone connected with the EIHL are with Adam’s family, friends and teammates at this incredibly sad and difficult time. We would also ask everyone to respect the privacy of Adam’s family at this time.”
