A solid positional defenceman, Don Johns spent parts of six seasons in the NHL in the 1960s. He also toiled in the minor leagues with the AHL, CHL and WHL in a pro career that lasted over a decade.
The native of St. George, Ontario was a solid player with the Hull-Ottawa Jr. Canadiens and the Fort William Canadiens. He spent his first two seasons as a pro with the WHL's Winnipeg Warriors before joining the New York Rangers in 1960-61 after beating out veteran John Hanna in training camp. Johns enjoyed a solid NHL rookie season, appearing in 63 games and impressing coach Alf Pike with his disciplined play and ability to move forward with the puck. However, he played most of the next season in the AHL after dissatisfying the New York brass by not playing physically in his own end. The young blueliner returned to regular duty for the Blueshirts in 1963-64 when Larry Cahan and Al Langlois were injured.
In 1964-65, Johns was part of a multi-player deal with Chicago that involved such well-known figures as Camille Henry and Billy Taylor. He spent most of the 1964-65 schedule in the CHL before joining the AHL's Buffalo Braves in the Calder Cup playoffs where he formed a formidable partnership with Ed Van Impe. Johns never wore the Hawks' uniform in a regular season game but did play one game for the Montreal Canadiens in 1965-66 and four matches for the expansion Minnesota North Stars in 1967-68. He retired in 1969 after playing the year with the Vancouver Canucks of the WHL.
