Matthew Robertson thrived for the Rangers through the two games of the Rookie Series as he pushes to make the Rangers' opening night roster.
With Erik Gustafsson leaving in free agency, there is an opening for another defenseman to take his place and Robertson is certainly a prime candidate.
Throughout the Rookie Series against the Philadelphia Flyers, Robertson was by far New York’s best defenseman.
The 23-year-old played a physical game in the defensive zone as he made it difficult for his opponents to get past him, which was exactly his goal going into these two games.
“I try to build upon my defensive play each game,” Robertson said. “I try to be harder to play against each game and I thought my confidence with the puck got better each game.”
For a defenseman, it’s critical to be steady and collected at all moments and that’s exactly what Robertson brings to the table.
While Robertson is not an elite skater, he makes up for it with his high hockey IQ as he tends to make little mistakes with the puck on his stick.
This allows him to be an effective quarterback on the power play. Robertson played on the Rangers’ first power play unit against the Flyers this weekend and he was pretty impactful.
Robertson held the blue line well and his rocket of a shot was on full display. He scored a goal from the point on Saturday night and it showed how lethal he can truly be on the man advantage.
It’s been a long road for Robertson.
He was selected in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft, but he is still yet to crack the Rangers’ roster on a full time basis.
However, Robertson is feeling better than ever, so this could be the year where he flips the script.
“I really worked on the mental side of the game this summer, try to improve that,”Robertson said. “I think that was probably the biggest thing holding me back, just my mental psyche, being confident and consistent each day.
“I’m just staying dialed in each day, each practice, each rep, building my confidence each day, as well. I started working with a mental coach a bit. I’m looking forward to how it pans out this year.”
Training camp starts next week and Robertson has a lot to prove if he is to make the team this upcoming season.
