Loaded with promising young players already, the Los Angeles Kings are ready to unveil their new top prospect.

Defenceman Jack Johnson signed a contract Tuesday and will make his NHL debut Thursday against the visiting Vancouver Canucks.

Defenceman Jack Johnson, centre, helped lead the United States to a bronze medal at the 2007 world junior hockey championship in Sweden.
(Anders Wiklund/AFP/Getty Images)

The entry-level deal, according to the Los Angeles Times, is for three years and worth between $850,000 US and $2 million US per season.

The six-foot-one, 215-pound native of Indianapolis, Ind., recently completed his sophomore season at the University of Michigan, where he helped lead the Wolverines to the NCAA West Hockey Regional semifinals.

Johnson, 20, twice turned down offers from the Carolina Hurricanes to turn professional in the past year and was subsequently traded to Los Angeles last Sept. 29 along with blue-liner Oleg Tverdovsky for defenceman Tim Gleason and forward Eric Belanger.

"[He] wanted to spend another year in school. I think that, in his best interests, for his development, that he should be playing pro now," Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford said at the time.

Johnson, who was expected to join the Kings for practice Wednesday, was selected third overall by Carolina Hurricanes in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft behind Pittsburgh Penguins star and NHL leading scorer Sidney Crosby and Anaheim prospect Bobby Ryan.

Johnson scored 16 goals and 23 assists for 39 points in 36 games with the Wolverines.

Prepared to be patient

Kings GM Dean Lombardi said he supported Johnson staying in school.

"We were prepared to be patient when we made this deal," Lombardi said when making the trade. "It'll be good for him to spend another year there."

Johnson also played for the U.S. at the 2006 and 2007 world junior hockey championships.

"The sooner he starts playing pro, the sooner he starts to develop into a real good NHL player," Rutherford said of Johnson in September 2006. "In my opinion is going to be a very, very good, if not great, NHL player."

Johnson joins a Los Angeles squad that boasts up-and-comers like Anze Kopitar, who sat third in NHL rookie scoring with 57 points entering play Tuesday. Dustin Brown, Mike Cammalleri and Alexander Frolov are among the Kings' other talented players under 25.

With files from the Canadian Press