It isn't often a projected high-end Canadian prospect opts for Salzburg, Austria, to play for the Under-18 and U-20 teams at the Red Bull Academy, but Dobson did as a 15-year-old under former NHL coach Pierre Page in 2015-16.
He received word of the opportunity after getting a call from former NHL forward Brian Savage, who moved his family to Salzburg after his son was recruited by the Red Bull Academy.
"He called and said he'd bring me and my dad over to see the place and if we were comfortable with it, we could stay and if not, head back home (to Summerside, Prince Edward Island)," Dobson said. "It was a hockey player's Disney World. It was tough leaving home but when we got there, it was a state of the art facility.
"For the English-speaking players, we took online courses and had our own teacher with us in the classroom but lived right at the facility. The rink was two minutes from our room. That season in Austria was an unbelievable experience."
The Academy offers two international-size rinks, a skating and training center and dorms. The team plays games in the Czech Republic, Finland and Switzerland.
"I think moving away from home and living on a different continent, seeing parts of the world and culture most 15-year-olds don't get to see, was really cool," Dobson said.