- Wyatt Johnston led the NHL with 27 power-play goals in 2025-26 and set a Dallas Stars franchise record
- The 23-year-old made Canada’s candidate list for Milan but missed the final cut in February
- Read below for what Johnston said about playing for Canada and the teenagers coming up behind him
Wyatt Johnston wants a Stanley Cup in Dallas first. After that, he wants a Canada sweater.
The Stars center was asked by Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com about representing his country on the international stage.
“Obviously, my main focus is winning a Stanley Cup for Dallas, but playing for your country, I would love that down the road,” Johnston said.
He came close in February. Johnston’s name landed on Canada’s list of candidates for the Milan Olympics before he missed the final cut. Stars general manager Jim Nill, who worked on the Canadian staff, kept him updated through the process.
The case for him is not complicated. Johnston scored 27 power-play goals last season, seven clear of Vegas winger Pavel Dorofeyev in second, and broke the Stars single-season franchise record along the way.
His full line was a career high across the board at 45 goals and 86 points. Each of his four NHL seasons has topped the one before it, from 24 goals to 32 to 33 to 45, and 41 points to 65 to 71 to 86.
Nobody from the 2021 draft class has more than his 263 points in 328 games. Dallas took him 23rd overall that year, after a season in which he barely played because the OHL shut down its 2020-21 campaign.
Asked how he handled that lost year, Johnston pointed at the weight room.
“I pushed myself in the gym at that time,” he said. “I was going to take advantage of the time to get bigger and stronger. It probably helped me when all was said and done.”
Number 26 on the man advantage came in overtime:
Johnston gives a lot of the credit for his work around the net to Joe Pavelski, who retired in 2024 after two seasons as his teammate.
“I learned so much from him,” Johnston said. “He was so good at tipping pucks and in front of the net. It’s definitely a big reason I’ve had success on the power play.”
Take a look at what that turned into last season:
At 23, Johnston is already watching a younger group of Canadians arrive. He rattled off Macklin Celebrini, Connor Bedard, Matthew Schaefer and Gavin McKenna, and admitted the pace they set as teenagers caught him off guard.
“It’s so impressive how they immediately take off when coming into the League,” he said. “I remember my first year, I was still in awe of everything.”
He skates Tuesday at Scotiabank Pond in Toronto for the Circle of Champions event, alongside NHL and PWHL players, with proceeds going to a free clothing bank in the city. That one lands close to home for the Toronto native.
“And now kids look up to me,” Johnston said. “Not long ago I was one of them.”
Camp opens next month, and Johnston gets there having beaten his own career high in goals four years running.
