Randy Johnson

Minneapolis

Multi-Platform Editor at The Minnesota Star Tribune

Gophers football/hockey writer for the Minnesota Star Tribune. Also cover the Minnesota Wild. Bilingual in speaking both South and North Dakotan.

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Articles

Takeaways from NHL playoffs Game 1

3 days ago | startribune.com | Randy Johnson

The Vegas Golden Knights connected on 28.3% of their power-play chances during the regular season, which was second only to Winnipeg's 28.9% in the NHL. Conversely, the Wild's penalty kill ranked third-from-last in the league at 72.4%. So, staying out of the penalty box would be key to Minnesota's chances of winning Sunday night's opener of the Western Conference quarterfinal series in Las Vegas.
Gophers land defensive back John Nestor, a transfer from Iowa

4 days ago | startribune.com | Randy Johnson

By Randy Johnson The Gophers on Sunday bolstered their defensive backfield with the addition of John Nestor, a transfer from Iowa who announced on the X platform that he has committed to Minnesota. Nestor, a 5-11, 196-pounder from Marist High School in Chicago, played in 10 games in 2024 as a reserve cornerback, finishing with 14 tackles. He also had two tackles in 10 games played as a freshman in 2023.
Minnesota Wild-Vegas Golden Knights matchup chart

1 week ago | startribune.com | Randy Johnson

By Randy Johnson After a one-year hiatus, the Wild are back in the NHL playoffs, securing a Western Conference wild-card spot in the final 22 seconds of regulation in the final game of the regular season. Minnesota's journey from the top of the NHL standings in early December to scrambling to reach the tournament can be traced to a rash of injuries to their best players. Now, a healthy Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin lead the Wild in a first-round matchup against Vegas.
Gophers QB Zach Pyron, a transfer from Georgia Tech, is re-entering the transfer portal

1 week ago | startribune.com | Randy Johnson

By Randy Johnson Pyron, a junior who has two years of eligibility remaining, was receiving third-team reps, behind redshirt freshman Drake Lindsey and redshirt sophomore Dylan Wittke, during the past two spring practices that were open to media members. Lindsey has received the most work with the first-team - a further indication that he's the front-runner to be the starter this fall - while Wittke, a transfer from Virginia Tech, has worked mainly with the second team.
Gophers coach Bob Motzko will be back leading Team USA when Minnesota hosts the IIHF World Junior Championship this winter.

1 week ago | startribune.com | Randy Johnson

The United States will be seeking its third consecutive gold medal in the IIHF World Junior Championship when the top under-20 men's hockey tournament visits the Twin Cities this winter, and a familiar Minnesota name will be guiding Team USA. U.S. General Manager John Vanbiesbrouck announced Tuesday at Xcel Energy Center that Gophers coach Bob Motzko will be coach of the Americans when they play at Xcel and 3M Arena at Mariucci from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5, 2026.
Florida high school wide receiver Hayden Moore commits to Gophers

1 week ago | startribune.com | Randy Johnson

By Randy Johnson The Gophers football program added its third commitment of the weekend on Sunday when wide receiver Hayden Moore of Newberry, Fla., announced on the X social media platform that he will join Minnesota's 2026 recruiting class. Moore, 6-1 and 190 pounds, is a three-star recruit who is ranked as the 105th-best prospect in Florida and the 164th wide receiver nationally by recruiting-focused website 247Sports.com.
Gophers football program lands first 2027 recruit in Wayzata DL Eli Diane

1 week ago | startribune.com | Randy Johnson

By Randy Johnson Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck received the first commitment for his 2027 recruiting class on Saturday when Wayzata sophomore defensive lineman Eli Diane announced on the X social media platform that he will attend Minnesota.
Michigan State's Isaac Howard wins Hobey Baker Award

1 week ago | startribune.com | Randy Johnson

Michigan State forward Isaac Howard won the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college men's hockey Thursday night in St. Louis. Howard, a Minnesota Duluth transfer from Hudson, Wis., had 26 goals and 26 assists in 37 games this season and was first nationally in points per game (1.42). He is the third Spartans player to win the award, joining Kip Miller (1990) and Ryan Miller (2001).
With Max Brosmer gone, the Gophers have a QB opening, and Drake Lindsey is making strides.

2 weeks ago | startribune.com | Randy Johnson

Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck is quick to say that he doesn't award starting jobs during spring practice. The drills in March and April do, however, help formulate a pecking order from which Fleck and his coaching staff will draw when training camp opens in early August. For the Gophers in 2025, the most important position to fill will be quarterback, and so far, redshirt freshman Drake Lindsey appears to be the clear front-runner to replace 2024 starter Max Brosmer.
Gophers looking to factor star safety Koi Perich in to offensive plan

2 weeks ago | startribune.com | Randy Johnson

Practice jerseys for the Gophers football team come in three colors: white for most of the offensive players, a gold, non-contact version for quarterbacks, and maroon tops for defensive players. This year, there's a peacock in the mix.