Canada's Kent Johnson (left) celebrates his goal against Germany with Thomas Chabot.
photo: Andrea Cardin / HHOF-IIHF Images
Canada’s Kent Johnson has done something only three other players in IIHF history have done—score a goal in the World Juniors, Olympics, and World Championship in the same season.
Johnson became the fourth member of this elite group on Friday night when he scored in Canada’s 5-3 win over Germany. He also scored a goal against China in Beijing and against Austria at the shortened World Juniors in Edmonton last December.
The only other players to turn this unique hat trick are Finland’s Saku Koivu, in 1994; Yevgeni Malkin in 2006 with Russia; and, Eeli Tolvanen, in 2018, again with Finland.
And although there are nearly 100 players at this year’s World Championship who also played at the Beijing Olympics, there are four others besides Johnson who are making a little history for tournament participation in one year. In addition to the Canadian, two Slovaks are also playing in their third tournament of the year—Juraj Slafkovsky and Simon Nemec. Neither, however, will join Johnson in the more elite group of scorers. Slafkovsky didn’t score at the WM20 and Nemec didn’t score in Beijing.
The Slovaks do, however, join the slightly larger group of players who have played these three events in one season: Miro Heiskanen (FIN, 2018), Kenny Jonsson (SWE, 1994), and three players from Russia in 1992--Darius Kasparaitis, Alexei Kovalyov, and Alexei Zhitnik.
Additionally, there are two other players at this year’s Worlds who didn’t go to the Olympics but did play in the covid-shortened U20s five months ago—Austria’s Marco Kasper and American Luke Hughes. Hughes didn’t register a point in the one game the Americans managed to play, and Kasper didn’t figure in any of his team’s three goals in their two games.
Johnson became the fourth member of this elite group on Friday night when he scored in Canada’s 5-3 win over Germany. He also scored a goal against China in Beijing and against Austria at the shortened World Juniors in Edmonton last December.
The only other players to turn this unique hat trick are Finland’s Saku Koivu, in 1994; Yevgeni Malkin in 2006 with Russia; and, Eeli Tolvanen, in 2018, again with Finland.
And although there are nearly 100 players at this year’s World Championship who also played at the Beijing Olympics, there are four others besides Johnson who are making a little history for tournament participation in one year. In addition to the Canadian, two Slovaks are also playing in their third tournament of the year—Juraj Slafkovsky and Simon Nemec. Neither, however, will join Johnson in the more elite group of scorers. Slafkovsky didn’t score at the WM20 and Nemec didn’t score in Beijing.
The Slovaks do, however, join the slightly larger group of players who have played these three events in one season: Miro Heiskanen (FIN, 2018), Kenny Jonsson (SWE, 1994), and three players from Russia in 1992--Darius Kasparaitis, Alexei Kovalyov, and Alexei Zhitnik.
Additionally, there are two other players at this year’s Worlds who didn’t go to the Olympics but did play in the covid-shortened U20s five months ago—Austria’s Marco Kasper and American Luke Hughes. Hughes didn’t register a point in the one game the Americans managed to play, and Kasper didn’t figure in any of his team’s three goals in their two games.