Rangers prospect Matthew Robertson focused on improving game in development camp
Rangers prospect Matthew Robertson at the MSG Training Center on Friday, September 10, 2021. Credit: Pablo Garcia Corradi
GREENBURGH, N.Y. – Surely, Matthew Robertson knows the odds are heavily against him sticking on the Rangers roster this season, considering all the established veterans coming into training camp next week who are ahead of him in the pecking order.
"I'm trying not to think about that right now,’’ Robertson said Wednesday, following the fourth practice of the Blueshirts’ Prospect Development Camp at the Rangers’ MSG Training Center. "I just come in, trying to do my best each day. And I'm just trying to get better and just prove what I have.’’
The 6-4, 201-pounder, a second-round pick (No. 49 overall) in the 2019 NHL draft has a lot that the Rangers like. In 2019-20, he scored 13 goals and had 47 points in 60 games for the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League before the season was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Last season, Robertson attended training camp with the Rangers, and got to train with the Rangers’ Hartford farm team in the AHL before going back to Edmonton, where he had a massive year, scoring 22 points (four goals, 18 assists) in 22 games, with a plus/minus rating of plus-26.
Robertson said the biggest thing he improved last season was that he became more consistent as a player. He did, though, say he got faster, and quicker.
"Just to close in on guys quicker… closing that time and space quicker, and being a little more aggressive and assertive, I think, was a big part of my success, especially in the ‘D’ zone,’’ he said. "And, I mean, being more successful in the D zone led to more offense.’’
He described himself as "a defenseman who tries to focus a little more on the defensive side, but loves to jump up in the play.’’
With Ryan Lindgren, All-Rookie team performer K’Andre Miller, and free agent additions Patrik Nemeth and Jarred Tinordi ahead of him – plus Libor Hajek and Island Park’s Anthony Bitetto – Robertson, 20, is most likely going to start the season with the Wolf Pack in Hartford. Before that happens, though, the Edmonton native is hoping to leave coach Gerard Gallant and management with a positive impression.
"Just be consistent every day,’’ Robertson said when asked what his goal is for this camp. "Just coming up, showing I'm ready to play and I'm just getting better each day… and just playing my game, and not trying to do anything out of my toolbox.’’
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
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