How Hockey Won Over Storm Rookie Flau’jae Johnson
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - The first few months of Flau’jae Johnson’s WNBA career have been filled with fun moments and unique experiences, from a strong start to her rookie season with the Storm to moments around Seattle like a ceremonial first pitch ahead of a Mariners game.
A unique experience right before the draft led to a newfound fandom for the 22-year-old Johnson when she helped with the ceremonial puck drop ahead of the PWHL’s historic game at Madison Square Garden between the New York Sirens and the Seattle Torrent. That moment, alongside Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss, sparked Flau’jae’s interest in the sport, as she’s had several fun run-ins with Torrent players since. Johnson took time ahead of the team’s final contest of a four-game homestand to discuss how hockey and the Torrent became important to her in just a few months.
That aforementioned ceremonial puck drop at Madison Square Garden was the moment that Flau’jae pinpointed for the beginning of her hockey fandom. As an E.L.F. athlete herself as of March this year, and with the PWHL announcing a partnership with E.L.F. Cosmetics early in 2024, Johnson was an easy candidate to help get a sold-out crowd at MSG going. Alongside the iconic duo of Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss, Johnson took in the electrifying sights of that game and called the ceremonial puck drops “one of the greatest moments of my life” and “the honor of a lifetime” in a behind-the-scenes video posted by the PWHL.
“I went to drop the puck with Billie Jean King at Madison Square Garden, it was sold out, and I kind of just fell in love with hockey, made some hockey friends. I’ve been really invested in it”
In an instance of invisible strings, Johnson dropped the puck in front of Sirens captain Micah Zandee-Hart and Torrent captain Hilary Knight, who she’d meet later on after being drafted by the Seattle Storm just nine days after this contest at MSG. Considering that Seattle drafted her, it’s somewhat amusing that Johnson picked the Sirens to beat the Torrent in that sold-out thriller at the "World's Most Famous Arena."
But that puck drop in front of a packed historic arena wasn’t the only reason that Flau’jae fell in love with hockey, particularly women’s hockey. Johnson shared that her desire to help grow other sports and the progress the PWHL has made in that regard caught her eye, even if she can’t ice skate just yet.
Flau’jae’s post-draft experience was a whirlwind, from learning she’d go from Golden State to Seattle that night, to flying to the Pacific Northwest soon after while still rocking her draft hat. Just five days after hearing her name called as the first step in her professional basketball career, Johnson and her fellow draftees helped read the Torrent starting lineup for their April 18th game against the Vancouver Goldeneyes.
Taina Mair and Grace VanSlooten read the forwards and defenders (Awa Fam wasn’t present as she was still finishing up her season in Spain), while Johnson announced that Carly Jackson would get the start in goal. Afterward, Flau’jae shared that she will be at “a lot” of Torrent games in the future, continuing the bonds shared between Seattle’s professional sports teams.
“It was lit, just seeing them come out. They were big in their [pads] and stuff, it was super cool. I have all this love for athletes, especially women, who just play different sports. I think it’s so cool, especially when they do extraordinary things that I know I couldn’t do. I just have so much respect for them and their craft, and I know how much hard work they put into it. So, to be a new league and a growing sport is something that I’m just proud of, as a woman, and it’s something that I want to support. ”
Part of the pregame experience with the Torrent was the opportunity to swap jerseys with captain Hilary Knight, who gifted Johnson an autographed jersey with special inscriptions that read “Welcome to Seattle,” “LFG,” and “Beast mode.” The rookie and vet shared a few words and a hug, giving Flau’jae an incredibly special moment in the Emerald City before she’d even stepped foot on the court at Climate Pledge Arena.
“Hell yeah I was fangirling! I was hella fangirling, I was a little nervous. I was just like, ‘thank you so much,’ but I was fangirling. Hilary, she’s the G.O.A.T., for real.”
While the Storm season is now fully underway and the Torrent have been in their offseason for a good while, the connection between the two times, as bridged by Flau’jae, didn’t dissipate. Torrent forwards Danielle Serdachny and Hannah Bilka and defender Cayla Barnes were courtside for the Storm’s win over the Connecticut Sun on Friday, May 22nd at Climate Pledge Arena, meeting up with Johnson and Storm teammate Zia Cooke afterward. Much like how Torrent players have talked about their locker room as a sisterhood, it seems that sisterhood has carried over to other Seattle professional sports teams.
“We kinda connected on social media. I think they’d just seen all the support I was having. They said they were gonna come to a game, and I was like, ‘Bet!’ I think that crossover is super dope, and I think it’s good for young girls to see women supporting women. I think that’s a big deal. ”
From left to right: Torrent defender Cayla Barnes, Storm guard Flau’jae Johnson, Torrent forwards Danielle Serdachny and Hannah Bilka, and Storm guard Zia Cooke after the Storm’s May 22nd, 2026 game at Climate Pledge Arena. (Photo via Danielle Serdachny’s account on Threads)
While she wasn’t able to attend many Torrent games in their inaugural season, Flau’jae shared that her brief glimpse of Seattle’s PWHL team showcased what the city’s support can look like. It stuck with Johnson so much that the support she’d seen for the Torrent at Climate Pledge Arena was brought up after the Storm’s preseason home game, when Flau’jae was asked about the crowd, as she said she saw what Torrent fans were like. She wanted that sort of energy at the Storm games this season, for that support to carry over from the PWHL season into the WNBA season.
It’s safe to say that with the momentum women’s sports have, the sort of star power Seattle’s women’s teams have, and with the support for women’s sports that’s always been in this city, Flau’jae will see tons of support and love, whether that’s when she’s on the court or when she’s rinkside to watch the Torrent.
“Just seeing the impact they had. Even though they weren’t having the best season, the support never wavered. That was a big deal to see, Seattle, they really stick with their teams. Saying that, I was like, ‘That’s super cool, this is gonna be a good city to be in.’”
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