Jim Johannson named Lester Patrick Trophy recipient

Jim Johannson has been posthumously named the 2018 recipient of the Lester Patrick Trophy, the NHL announced on Wednesday.

"The Lester Patrick Trophy is presented for 'service to hockey in the United States.' Jim Johannson's entire playing career and professional life were dedicated to the game of hockey," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a release.

"From his playing days at the University of Wisconsin and for U.S. national and Olympic teams, through his two-decade career at USA Hockey, Jim worked tirelessly to grow our game at all levels in the United States."

Johannson died this past January at his home in Colorado Springs at just 53 years of age. Prior to that, he was a prominent name in American hockey, recently serving as the assistant executive director of USA Hockey and the general manager of the 2018 U.S. men's Olympic team. He was also part of the national team's management at the 2006, 2010, and 2014 Olympic Games.

He played four seasons at the University of Wisconsin and was drafted in the seventh round of the NHL draft by the Hartford Whalers in 1982, although he never suited up in the league.

Johannson will be recognized on Dec. 12, where his wife, Abby, will accept the award on his behalf, and where he'll will be inducted - alongside Red Berenson, Natalie Darwitz, Hago Harrington, David Poile, and Paul Stewart - into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.