First Shift 🏒
The Stars had an optional practice last week and on the ice were two players who had been healthy scratches, backup goalie Casey DeSmith and Robertson.
That’s not unusual. The 25-year-old winger has always been a rink rat. He’s often the first man on the ice and usually the last man off.
Asked what his thinking was on this day, Robertson said, “Well, we were at the arena, so why not go?”
Robertson was a regular to take the ice with Scott Wedgewood in recent years and is a constant companion for DeSmith.
“The majority of the time, it’s for the goalies, so I go out to help the goalies and try to work on some stuff and score some goals,” Robertson said. “Those are the moments when you can have the most fun, so I enjoy it.”
By “helping,” Robertson often is tormenting the netminders with all manner of crazy shots and even crazier celebrations. But it is all in fun. And, he also has a pretty good plan every time he’s on the practice ice. When he’s left to his own devices, the team’s leading goal scorer is using the time to hone his craft.
“Goal scorers want to score, it’s like oxygen for them, and you can see that in him,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “He works very hard at that part of his game.”
Since Jan. 1, Robertson ranks first in the NHL with 23 goals and fifth in points with 43. That’s huge when you consider he had foot surgery in the summer and had a very slow start to the season.
“It’s taken time,” Robertson said. “It was a process, but you work through it.”
A lot of that work was done at practice. Robertson takes great pride in getting on the ice as much as possible. He usually won’t take “the option” to skip when it is offered, and he also looks to stay on the ice when the team and League breaks for a period of time. During the 4 Nations Face-Off, Robertson went to Florida with his brother Nick, who plays for the Maple Leafs, and the two skated and worked out with a trainer.
“That took a little planning,” Robertson admitted when asked how much he thinks about practices. “I knew I wanted to get away and I didn’t want to go back home to Michigan and skate, it was depressing weather there. We wanted to go to Florida, and we had a blast.”
He also came out with a hot hand afterward and has been a key player in the Stars making a great run after the tournament. Now, he wants to keep it going into the playoffs.
“You want to set yourself up as well as possible,” Robertson said. “It’s ramping up for the playoffs. You want to get rid of the insecurities that we have in our game right now. We just need to be more connected on the ice, having five players available at all times, whether that’s the forecheck or the breakouts, all of it is being connected. If you do that, you have more time with the puck and less time defending. It’s the recipe we’ve used the whole time I’ve been in Dallas. It’s slipped away the last couple of weeks, but hopefully we can get better at that.”
And if anyone is going to help the Stars be prepared, Robertson is front and center.
“He’s honest about his own game, and I think that helps him,” DeBoer said. “He’s a smart player, a creative player, and he definitely loves scoring.”
