LW Jason Robertson (2017, 39th, DAL)

[Rabid Ranger]

A saw a comparison to Pat Maroon and it fits. There is room for that type of player in today's NHL.

 

[wings5]

A saw a comparison to Pat Maroon and it fits. There is room for that type of player in today's NHL.

Well he was just described as not strong and gritty so I don't know who's right, Maroon doesn't shy away from the dirty areas.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Well he was just described as not strong and gritty so I don't know who's right, Maroon doesn't shy away from the dirty areas.

I'm thinking more the offensive package.

 

[le_sean]

Thing is, if he figures his skating out, which is the most correctable skill there is, the guy has elite hands and IQ. He could be an absolute force.

But still not many examples of players that were this bad at skating that completely turned it around. Acceleration is key and he has zero ability there. I find it hard to believe that someone who has probably skated 75% of his life will just one day correct that and be fine.

 

[Hossa]

A saw a comparison to Pat Maroon and it fits. There is room for that type of player in today's NHL.

Is Robertson that physical?

I've never seen him live, but Robertson looks and sounds a bit like Mark Stone, just leaning more towards shot than pass.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Is Robertson that physical?

I've never seen him live, but Robertson looks and sounds a bit like Mark Stone, just leaning more towards shot than pass.

No, he's not. I was just thinking similar body type, skating issues, and offensive mindset. Maroon has rounded himself into a solid NHLer by 1) becoming more physical/aggressive 2) working on his skating 3) playing to his strengths (creative player that can start/finish a play while cycling in the offensive zone. Robertson will need a similar trajectory.

 

[orangeandblack]

Mark Stone?

 

[McDNicks17]

Mark Stone?

Similar size and skating, but that's about it.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Same size, and same skating concerns with Stone and Robertson. But at the NHL level, Robertson projects to be more of a goal scorer, while Stone's better at setting up his linemates.

The only reason I like the comparison to Stone is as an example of a pretty ugly (relatively speaking) skater who is still a top line player despite that flaw because of his other positive skills.

 

[Josepho]

I definitely would not describe him as "not strong".

The dude is tough to take off that puck.

 

[Hale The Villain]

Just so people are aware of how impressive Robertson's production was this year - this is a list of all the 17YR old players (draft year eligibles) since the lockout that contributed to 40% of their team's goals:

Crosby: 0.50
Robertson: 0.453
Point: 0.45
Marner: 0.44
Seguin: 0.43
Yakupov: 0.42
Stamkos: 0.42
Dal Colle: 0.41
Giroux: 0.41
RNH: 0.41
Weal: 0.41
Bouchard: 0.41
Hishon: 0.40

Crosby is the only CHL player since the lockout who was involved on more of his team's goals than Robertson.

This is not to say Robertson is a better offensive player at the same age than Marner, Seguin, Stamkos or Giroux, but it does speak to how incredible his production was this season in Kingston. The kid had absolutely zero help, and he was able to score 40+ goals and 80+ points as a 17YR old. Other than Robertson, there isn't a single forward on Kingston that has been drafted or deserved to be drafted. He put up those gaudy numbers all on his own, and that's something that should be taken into consideration.

Have to wonder what kind of numbers he could put up if he played for an OHL powerhouse like Erie or London - teams that scored almost twice as many goals in 2016/17 than Kingston. Have to think playing with much better players on a much better team would help his already incredible numbers, not hurt them.

 

[Magua]

He's just a unique player. I don't even know who to compare him to style-wise.........Jeff Skinner trapped in Mark Stone's body? Sounds ridiculous, I know, but I've seen him plenty and it makes sense in my head at least. Like it was pointed out above, he drives his entire team offensively. And he does it with all his weaknesses. Although he's very adept at getting controlled exits/entries for his teammates with his great passing and patience, he has to lug it in a lot out of his end and through the NZ and dump and chase himself. Playing next to a speedy playmaking center and on a team more adept at transition would remove a lot of that burden.

He does have a few things working for him in projecting: beyond the skating, his conditioning/strength was clearly not there. He would look absolutely gassed towards the end of his shifts, and it would make his skating look even worse. Better training solves that. He's on the young end for the class. He's got this top-heavy, oafish stride but his footwork is actually not bad in tight, especially using his edges. It's heavy, but his stride has some mechanical tweaks that could be made, so it's not like he's just the garden variety heavy and slow, like Matthew Strome. He does flash at times, especially when fresh, something resembling not below average skating. He's one of a kind that's for sure.

 

[93LEAFS]

Just so people are aware of how impressive Robertson's production was this year - this is a list of all the 17YR old players (draft year eligibles) since the lockout that contributed to 40% of their team's goals:

Crosby: 0.50
Robertson: 0.453
Point: 0.45
Marner: 0.44
Seguin: 0.43
Yakupov: 0.42
Stamkos: 0.42
Dal Colle: 0.41
Giroux: 0.41
RNH: 0.41
Weal: 0.41
Bouchard: 0.41
Hishon: 0.40

Crosby is the only CHL player since the lockout who was involved on more of his team's goals than Robertson.

This is not to say Robertson is a better offensive player at the same age than Marner, Seguin, Stamkos or Giroux, but it does speak to how incredible his production was this season in Kingston. The kid had absolutely zero help, and he was able to score 40+ goals and 80+ points as a 17YR old. Other than Robertson, there isn't a single forward on Kingston that has been drafted or deserved to be drafted. He put up those gaudy numbers all on his own, and that's something that should be taken into consideration.

Have to wonder what kind of numbers he could put up if he played for an OHL powerhouse like Erie or London - teams that scored almost twice as many goals in 2016/17 than Kingston. Have to think playing with much better players on a much better team would help his already incredible numbers, not hurt them.

I think Robertson, Weal, and Point were the only ones who played a full season, which slightly skews it. Most either missed time for WJC or WJC tryouts (Crosby, Stamkos, Yakupov, Seguin, RNH, McDavid) or missed a couple games to injury (Marner and McDavid).

Also, it's a weird balance. If he played for a powerhouse/deep roster, maybe he doesn't get the opportunity to have the offense run through him as much or sees less ice-time. For example, Bracco was killing it numbers wise on Kitchener and had a massive reduction of his numbers in Windsor. Another example is Warren Foegele who was in Kingston and didn't see a change in his numbers when he arrived in Erie. Also, Foegele was drafted, but was traded mid-year.

 

[Hale The Villain]

I think Robertson, Weal, and Point were the only ones who played a full season, which slightly skews it. Most either missed time for WJC or WJC tryouts (Crosby, Stamkos, Yakupov, Seguin, RNH, McDavid) or missed a couple games to injury (Marner and McDavid).

Also, it's a weird balance. If he played for a powerhouse/deep roster, maybe he doesn't get the opportunity to have the offense run through him as much or sees less ice-time. For example, Bracco was killing it numbers wise on Kitchener and had a massive reduction of his numbers in Windsor. Another example is Warren Foegele who was in Kingston and didn't see a change in his numbers when he arrived in Erie. Also, Foegele was drafted, but was traded mid-year.

Slightly skews it but probably not by a whole lot. There's not a single guy I listed that played less than 60 games for their CHL team in their 17YR old year. Perhaps there are a couple players that got excluded from the list because of injury or what-not who were involved in over 40% of their team's goals, but it would be nearly impossible to add those guys to the list. If you want to be my guest.

Bracco didn't see his production fall that much because he was on a deep team, it had a lot more to do with the terrible offensive system Windsor had all year, which saw almost every single on of its top offensive players struggle to meet expectations.

 

[pharling]

DobberProspects Profile and scouting report for Jason Robertson
http://www.dobberprospects.com/jason-robertson/

In the Prospect Report our player comparable for him is Drew Stafford, Mark Stone isn't bad either

 

[Sticks and Pucks]

Probably the biggest omission of the first round? Thought this guy would definitely be a first rounder.

 

[Dr Pepper]

Well he didn't have to wait for very long.

 

[account deactivated]

I'm happy the Stars picked him. If the biggest knock on a player with the kind of tools this kid has is skating, you take the chance it can be fixed. Benn was a terrible skater, with one of the best quotes I've ever seen from the Red Line Report "We’re not sure if he’s really that slow, or he just refuses to move", lol.

I'm not saying he'll turn out to be like Benn, but at this point in the draft, if you can get a guy who has shown the ability Robertson has, it's easier to teach skating than it is to teach sense or scoring.

 

[ulvvf]

I'm happy the Stars picked him. If the biggest knock on a player with the kind of tools this kid has is skating, you take the chance it can be fixed. Benn was a terrible skater, with one of the best quotes I've ever seen from the Red Line Report "We’re not sure if he’s really that slow, or he just refuses to move", lol.

I'm not saying he'll turn out to be like Benn, but at this point in the draft, if you can get a guy who has shown the ability Robertson has, it's easier to teach skating than it is to teach sense or scoring.

You have a point, he fill in most criteria of a great prospect apart for skating, he could be a huge steal. But hockey becomes more and more about speed. You do not see many forwards in NHL that are that slow and it is not easy to solve. It is a big issue, but at this point of the draft you will not find the perfect player, all players have some questionmarks. Overall a good pick i would say, risk vs reward.

 

[MrHeiskanen]

Moved into Top 5 in OHL scoring. With Kingston finally adding some surrounding pieces it will be interesting to see how many points he finishes with.

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

Seriously such an underrated prospect.

 

[MMC]

How good is his brother Nicholas?

 

[AmericanDream]

massive bump, damn this kid is good- his skating looks better to me as well.

 

[Bluesnatic27]

I'm happy the Blues got Kostin, but Robertson was someone I was seriously hoping the Blues would consider with their 2nd first.

I think, and thought at the time, that Dallas had a fantastic draft with a top-3 of Heiskanen, Oettinger, and Robertson.

 

[Son of Petter]

This kid is a SOG Monster as well. Can correct his skating and he’ll kill it.

Seems like oettinger’s stock has dropped since being drafted. But Goalies, they have their own path.

I'm happy the Blues got Kostin, but Robertson was someone I was seriously hoping the Blues would consider with their 2nd first.

I think, and thought at the time, that Dallas had a fantastic draft with a top-3 of Heiskanen, Oettinger, and Robertson.