Columbus Blue Jackets center Ryan Johansen threw out the first pitch before the Cincinnati Reds hosted the Detroit Tigers at Great American Ballpark on Monday.

"It was great. I got to know a few of the guys," Johansen told FOX Sports Ohio. "We were just talking about the difference between the sports and things like that, and schedules and travel and those kinds of things. It's interesting how many similarities there are between us and the two sports and really every sport. First time down on a field and getting to know a few of the guys, it was a pretty cool experience today."

Johansen's toss from the mound sailed high and required Reds rookie center fielder Ryan LaMarre to leap to catch the ball.

"I was worried he wouldn't be able to jump up and get it in time," Johansen said.

Johansen, 23, set NHL career highs in assists (45) and points (71) last season, his fourth in the League.

The Blue Jackets, who lost an NHL-high 508 man-games to injury last season, finished nine points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second wild card from the Eastern Conference into the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs. They acquired two-time Stanley Cup champion Brandon Saad in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks on June 30, and signed free agent center Gregory Campbell, who won the Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011, on July 1.

"We made a couple new big additions to our team and we've got a lot of confidence going into this year," Johansen said. "Everyone is kind of getting back into town now and we're gearing up for the season, and there's a lot of excitement around our team."