“They’re tough to beat, especially in their rink we’ve had troubles beating them there, so we’d have to figure out a way to steal some wins,” he said. “There’s a lot of familiar faces over there so it’d be a fun series for sure.”

Whatever does happen with the team’s playoff run, the 19-year-old will have a different focus in a few months when he takes his shot at turning professional with the Washington Capitals organization. He’ll be trying to follow the footsteps of another big name Rockets’ blueliner in Madison Bowey.

Bowey was wearing the C for Kelowna when Johansen entered the WHL in the fall of 2014 and if certain things fall into place, they could be sharing the ice again next year. Bowey was taken by Washington in the second round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and currently plays for the Capitals’ farm team, the Hershey Bears. While Johansen admits the two don’t talk a lot, he says they’ve spent time together at various Capitals’ development camps and rookie tournaments, and Bowey is source of advice for Johansen as he makes his transition into the big leagues.

Great night to share with friends and family! So pumped to be apart of @capitals !!! Thanks to everyone who helped and supported me along the way! A post shared by Lucas Johansen (@ljohansen97) on Jun 24, 2016 at 10:08pm PDT

“It’s definitely nice to have a guy who I played with and partnered with in the same organization.”

Bowey is certainly a valuable resource, but obviously his influence pales in comparison to how important a different NHL player has been for Johansen. That player is, of course, Nashville Predators’ forward and Lucas’ older brother, Ryan Johansen. The eldest Johansen brother is in the seventh year of a successful NHL career after being drafted fourth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2010. For young Lucas, the dream of playing professional hockey became that much more realistic once he saw Ryan step onto an NHL ice surface for the first time.

“When he made it I just remember, he actually played Nashville in his first game and I looked out and thought, ‘oh my God this is unbelievable’,” Lucas explained. “I always joke that I used to beat him at mini sticks and road hockey sometimes, so if he can play in the NHL, why can’t I?”