Mason City, IA- North Iowa Bulls defenseman and Assistant Captain Evan Johnson has committed to play NCAA Division I Hockey at Northern Michigan University, in Marquette, MI.
Johnson began his junior hockey career with the Bulls in the 2022-23 season on a two-game call-up from the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 18U AAA program. He made his full-time NAHL debut the next season with the Philadelphia Rebels before moving to the AJHL’s Whitecourt Wolverines, where he put up 2 goals and 11 assists in 27 games and added 1 goal and 4 assists in 15 postseason games, reaching the 2024 AJHL Championship series.
This season, Johnson began the year with the NAHL’s Minnesota Wilderness, getting into 2 games and recording an assist, before arriving in Mason City. In 54 games, Johnson recorded one of the most remarkable scoring seasons by a defenseman in Bulls history. The Wayzata, Minnesota, native recorded 6 goals & 31 assists for 37 points. He scored at a .69 points per game pace, the best pace of any Bulls defenseman since the NAHL returned to Mason City in 2021. His raw point total saw him finish just three points and two assists behind current Army West Point defenseman Sean Vlasich for the best point scoring season in the Bulls’ NAHL history.
As part of that scoring, Johnson recorded 15 power play assists; finishing tied for 8th among NAHL defenseman. That total is also the highest in a single season for any Bulls defenseman all-time and the second most all-time among all Bulls skaters behind only current St. Norbert College forward and NCAA DIII All-American Logan Dombrowsky.
All-in-all, Johnson concludes his North American Hockey League career with 73 games played, during which he scored 8 goals and 35 assists for 43 points. He was also selected to represent the Bulls at the 2025 Top Prospects Tournament in Plymouth, Michigan.
“Evan had a phenomenal season for us,” said Bulls Head Coach Nick Bruneteau. “Nobody worked harder, his competitiveness and work ethic went unmatched. He was a constant source of production on the Powerplay, and contributed in all situations. We are thrilled with his commitment and look forward to watching him at Northern Michigan.”