ISM client Diego Johnson has committed to Michigan State University and will join the Spartans for the 2026-27 Big Ten season. The move to East Lansing puts the Fort St. James, BC native, a 5-foot-11 right-shot winger, in a college lineup this fall.
Johnson arrives off a 25-goal, 46-point season in 68 games with the Penticton Vees, where he wore an "A" in the club's first WHL season. The year before, he put up 45 points in 61 games with the Madison Capitols of the USHL. Over the last two seasons that adds up to 129 games, 45 goals, and 46 assists, with 20-plus goals in each.
The route itself is worth noting. Johnson's path has run through the BCHL, the AJHL, the USHL, and the WHL, and until the NCAA opened Division I eligibility to CHL players for the 2025-26 season, a year in the WHL would have closed the college door. Instead, he lands with a Big Ten program coming off a 2026 NCAA Tournament run.
Congratulations to Diego and his family. We're looking forward to watching him in green and white this season.
Sources: The State News, Penticton Vees