Ryan Johansen

I’m getting a little nervous and excited for tonight, not going to lie. There’s so much excitement going around Ottawa for the Skills competition tonight and we’ve got all the events and players arranged and ready to go. I will be representing Team Chara in the breakaway competition which is one of the first few events this evening.

Today, we’ve been exploring the town a little more and walking around the setting downtown where the NHL has the events set up. We talked about going skating on the Rideau Canal, but it was too warm here today so they had to close the canal down! I had a good nap around 2 p.m. today after going to the Rideau Centre shopping mall with my mom and friends.

A lot of people have asked me what moves I will try in the breakaway competition, but honestly, I haven’t made up my mind yet! My buddies that are here in Ottawa with me have been giving me their own expert advice, but we’ll see if I go with their tips. I’m probably going to keep it simple though, because as a rookie, you don’t want to try some crazy move and then fall down.

I think I will have some time to make up my mind on the way to Scotiabank Place, because it’s a half-hour bus ride out to Kanata and the rink for tonight’s events. Maybe I will get some helpful suggestions from my Team Chara teammates, who are all world-class players and have shown they know how to score on these awesome goalies!

Also heard the exciting news today that Columbus and the Blue Jackets will be hosting the 2013 All-Star Game! That's awesome and I can't wait for a cool event like this to be right in our backyard.

Alright, before I go, here’s the lineup I’ll be competing with and against tonight:

TEAM CHARA

Ryan Johansen (rookie)

Corey Perry (Anaheim Ducks)

Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks)

Goalie: Carey Price (Montreal Canadiens)

TEAM ALFREDSSON

Sean Couturier (rookie, Philadelphia Flyers)

Logan Couture (San Jose Sharks)

John Tavares (New York Islanders)

Goalie: Brian Elliot (St. Louis Blues)

Tune in tonight to the Skills event! It starts at 7 p.m. and you can watch it in the U.S. on NBC Sports Network.

Talk to you soon!

Ryan