PuckSleuth
49St. Louis Blues · Left wing · Shoots L
Ross Johnston
Age 32 · 6'5" · 235 lb · Born in Charlottetown, CAN
Cap hit
$2M
1.9% of $104M cap
Term
3 yrs
Through 2028-29, then UFA
Clause
None
Surplus value
+$532K
vs. $2.532M market estimate
Confirmed by the public signing announcement · source
2026-27 regular season
GP
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
0 primary
Points
0
0.00 per game
TOI/GP
9:56
PP 0:10 · PK 0:00
xGF%
43.4
5v5, -1.5 vs. last yr
Game Score
+0.38
per game
Faceoff %
—
Plus/minus
+1
Blocks 2 · Hits 5
Game log
Last 5 games · NHL API
| Game | G | A | SOG | HIT | BLK | TOI | PP | PK | FO | OZS% | GV | TK | +/- | GS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2 @ DAL · W 4-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 9:56 | 0:10 | 0:00 | — | 50 | 0 | 0 | +1 | +0.38 |
| May 14 vs VGK · L 5-1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 8:46 | 0:00 | 0:00 | — | 0 | 1 | 0 | -1 | -0.01 |
| May 12 @ VGK · OTL 3-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10:50 | 0:04 | 0:00 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -0.21 |
| May 10 vs VGK · W 4-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 12:59 | 0:00 | 0:00 | — | 33 | 3 | 0 | 0 | -0.21 |
| May 8 vs VGK · L 6-2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 11:28 | 0:00 | 0:00 | — | 25 | 0 | 0 | -1 | +0.06 |
GS = our Game Score (credit for everything he did; goals and assists count most). FO = faceoffs won-lost. OZS% = share of his 5v5 offensive and defensive zone faceoff starts that were in the offensive zone. GV/TK = giveaways/takeaways.
Advanced metrics
5v5 unless noted · 2025-26 · 593 min · percentile vs. NHL forwards
19th percentile
17th percentile
31st percentile
39th percentile
19th percentile
37th percentile
63rd percentile
34th percentile
50th percentile
4th percentile
36th percentile
16th percentile
84th percentile
23rd percentile
xGF% is his team's share of 5v5 expected goals while he was on the ice, from our own expected goals model; HDCF% counts only high-danger chances (xG of 0.15 or more). IPP is the share of his team's 5v5 goals while he was on the ice that he scored or assisted on. Relative stats compare him with his team when he was off the ice. Goals above expected and ixG/60 use his own shots at all strengths. PDO and OZS% describe luck and deployment, so their bars are grey.
Play styleDefensive grinder
Trait percentiles vs. NHL wingers · 2025-26
Johnston is a relentless forechecking winger who uses physicality and positioning to disrupt opponents and create turnovers. His limited offensive touch means he contributes through effort and net-front presence rather than playmaking or speed.
- Shooting volume
- 2
- Playmaking
- 52
- Zone entries(est.)
- 4
- Forechecking
- 98
- Physicality
- 95
- Defensive impact
- 81
- Puck management
- 16
- Speed
- 20
Where he shoots from
Slot 67% · Mid-range 30% · Perimeter 4%(57 unblocked shots)
Strengths
- 98th percentile forechecking intensity makes him a disruption machine in the offensive zone
- 95th percentile physicality adds a physical edge and win-rate advantage in board battles
- 81st percentile defensive impact suggests strong puck-denial and coverage skills
Watch-outs
- 2nd percentile shooting volume limits his shot creation and offensive ceiling
- 4th percentile rush chances mean he struggles to create offense in transition
- 20th percentile speed leaves him vulnerable to quicker opponents and limits breakaway potential
Similar style: Nikita Grebenkin (PHI), Nathan Walker
Built from play-by-play, shift data, and NHL EDGE tracking. Zone entries is an estimate (rush chances while he is on the ice) until tracking data is added.
Where his Game Score comes from
2025-26 · 62 GP
Season total +13.8, or +0.22 per game.
- Scoring
- +9.7
- Shooting
- +2.5
- 5-on-5 goals
- +0.3
- Defense
- +0.1
- Physical play
- +4.6
- Puck battles
- -1.4
- Penalties
- -1.9
Game Score gives credit for everything a player does in a game. Goals (1.0) and assists (0.7 primary, 0.5 secondary) count most; shots, blocks, hits, takeaways, penalties drawn, faceoff wins, killing penalties, and holding down the other team's chances add to it. Only mistakes subtract: goals against at 5-on-5, giveaways, penalties taken, faceoff losses, and allowing more chances than an average player would. A player who is there to defend or kill penalties is not marked down for not scoring. Goalies are measured by goals saved above expected.
Career stats
From the NHL's player records
| Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PPG | PPP | SHG | GWG | SOG | S% | TOI | FO% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | New York Islanders | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 9:11 | — |
| 2025-26 | Anaheim Ducks | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.0 | 10:35 | — |
| Career | 2 seasons | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0.0 | 9:53 | — |
Seasons traded mid-year show one row per team.
Usage
Last game: @ DAL, Oct 2
Line 4 with Alexey Toropchenko and Pius Suter (3:43 together at 5-on-5)
From the NHL's shift chart.
Latest news
Headlines from news outlets and team blogs
No news about him in the last 30 days.
Sentiment & chatter
Fans
—
Beat writers
—
Media
—
Fan, beat writer, and media scores, the 14-day trade chatter chart, and the latest mentions appear once sentiment scoring is switched on. Mentions are already being collected.
Recent Game Scores
Last 10 games · goals above average
Average +0.01 per game over these 10.
Skating · NHL EDGE
2025-26, as of Oct 2
- Top speed
- 21.6 mph
- 24th pct
- 20+ mph bursts
- 37
- Hardest shot
- 83.0 mph
- 37th pct
- Distance
- 99.5 mi
- OZ time
- 43.3%
- 67th pct
- DZ time
- 38.0%
Age curve
NHL forwards · production index
At 32, forwards typically produce 74% of their peak (age 24). His contract runs through age 34, when the typical level is 63%.
From 24 seasons of NHL results, adjusted for league scoring and save percentage in each era. Shaded bars are the seasons left on his contract.
Contract by season
3 seasons left
| Season | Team | Cap hit | % of cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | STL | $2M | 1.9% |
| 2027-28 | STL | $2M | 1.8% |
| 2028-29 | STL | $2M | — |
UFA after 2028-29. $6M in cap hits left. % of cap uses each season's ceiling where the league has set one ($104M this season, $113.5M in 2027-28).