Robertson, 18, shows veteran poise in push to make Maple Leafs lineup

TORONTO -- For a player on the verge of becoming the first 18-year-old in 12 years to play an NHL game for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Nicholas Robertson is flashing the type of poise far beyond his years.

The forward had an assist during a 4-2 exhibition victory against the Montreal Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday in his unofficial professional debut. The performance was another indication that Robertson, who turns 19 on Sept. 11, continues to take steps towards earning a spot in the Maple Leafs lineup for the Stanley Cup Qualifiers.

"He's not a guy short on confidence and he's shown that throughout camp," coach Sheldon Keefe said Wednesday. "He goes out every shift and tries to make the most of it. I thought there were some really good positive signs in his play.

"We continue to believe in him, and he hasn't had any lapses that have made us doubt ourselves giving him that opportunity."

Robertson practiced in what has become a familiar spot for him on the third line with center Alex Kerfoot and wing Kasperi Kapanen on Wednesday. That trio was together for much of training camp and produced a goal against the Canadiens, with Robertson picking up the secondary assist on Kerfoot's goal at 19:35 of the second period.

"My confidence level is getting higher and higher each day and playing with good players during camp has definitely helped my level of comfort," Robertson said.

It's that type of composure that has Robertson vying for a spot with some elite company.

The Maple Leafs (36-25-9, .579 points percentage) are the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference and will play the ninth-seeded Columbus Blue Jackets (33-22-15, .579) in a best-of-5 Stanley Cup Qualifier series in Toronto starting Sunday (8 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVAS, FS-O, NHL.TV). If Robertson makes the lineup, he would be the first 18-year-old to play for Toronto since defenseman Luke Schenn in 2008.

He was the youngest (18 years, 320 days) of the 736 players added to NHL rosters for the Qualifiers.

The hype around him has snowballed since the Maple Leafs selected him in the second round (No. 53) in the 2019 NHL Draft. He led the Ontario Hockey League in goals (55) in 2019-20 while playing for Peterborough.

"The expectations for me are high because everything is a lot better than what I'd been exposed to," Robertson said. "You never know what your caliber is as an 18-year-old but going through the scrimmages and the game, it proves to me that I can keep up with them."

Schenn, selected No. 5 by the Maple Leafs in the 2008 NHL Draft, said he understands what Robertson is going through as a highly-touted prospect in the hockey fishbowl of Toronto.

"I remember going to the big camp and all the media and it was like, 'Woah, here we go,'" Schenn, now with the Tampa Bay Lightning, said in a recent phone interview. "Everybody's eyes were on the young kid and how he fit in. I can relate to his situation. People have a zillion different opinions on how you are doing in training camp.

"I do know, from looking at the outside, Morgan Rielly's dealt with it, Mitch Marner's dealt with it, Auston Matthews has dealt with it, all the young guys [the Maple Leafs] draft come in under a ton of expectations. It's like that with every guy coming in and he's the next guy in line.

"Right now, this is a unique situation because it's playoffs. But if [Robertson] does get his opportunity, people are going to be glued to their TVs to see how he does."

Should it play out that way, Wendel Clark, selected No. 1 by Toronto in the 1985 NHL Draft, expects Robertson will handle the pressure with the same calm demeanor as he has been.

"I think he's handling it quite well considering his age," Clark said. "I mean, in Toronto, you haven't even played your first NHL game and people recognize you on the street. For him, you can't tune out the white noise in Toronto. That's not realistic. So you have to find a way to deal with it."

Peterborough general manager Michael Oke has no doubt that he will.

"Nick is so honed in on what he wants to be and where he wants to get to," Oke said Wednesday. "He lived with us for two weeks last spring (2019) before he moved in with his brother [Jason] for summer training. He has a strict routine from morning to night, whether it's dietary, physical workouts, you name it. At one point my wife Julie said she couldn't believe how focused he was."

Oke said those are traits that remind him of John Tavares, the Maple Leafs captain. Oke coached Tavares as an assistant with Oshawa of the OHL in 2005-06.

"John was always looking for extra work, extra video sessions, anything to get better," Oke said. "Nick's the same way. Some guys view additional work as a pain, but these guys are the types to seek it out."

One of Robertson's biggest fans is his brother Jason, a forward with the Dallas Stars. Jason, 21, watched the Montreal game Tuesday in Edmonton, the Western Conference hub for the NHL's Return to Play Plan.

"He texted me after the game and said he felt comfortable out there," Jason said in a phone interview Wednesday. "It was so cool to see him out there in a Leafs jersey.

"Our entire family is so proud of him."