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2017 NHL Draft Profiles: Jason Robertson

Jason Robertson – 6’2, 196-pound left winger from the Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)


Jason Robertson Rankings

  • Ranked #27 by Future Considerations
  • Ranked #25 by McKeen’s Hockey
  • Ranked #14 by NHL Central Scouting (NA Skaters)

Jason Robertson Scouting Report provided by Brock Otten of OHL Prospects

Jason Robertson Strengths

  • As the year went on, Jason Robertson just kept getting better and better. The Frontenacs were far from an offensive juggernaut, but Robertson was one of the league’s premier performers in the second half of the year and the playoffs. In his final 25 games of the year (including the playoffs), he had 18 goals and 27 assists for 45 points, or very nearly two points per game.
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  • Overall on the year, if you combine the regular season and playoffs, Robertson was in on nearly 48% of his team’s goals this year. That’s just insane. Even with the top defensive players of the opposition keying in on him, he managed to remain consistently productive.
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  • Robertson is extremely difficult to separate from the puck and that’s one of the things that makes him so effective. He’s aggressive in driving the net and despite lacking elite speed or acceleration, he manages to find his way there with and without the puck.
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  • He’s also very intelligent. The puck just seems to find him in the offensive end, especially in the slot and near the crease.

Jason Robertson Weaknesses

  • In addition to improving his skating, adding that consistent physical element and intensity level is the key to his development. While he’s a determined player with the puck, his engagement without the puck lacks consistency.
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  • He has the size to dominate in puck retrieval and on the backcheck, but he has a tendency to float in the offensive zone, hanging out in the slot. You simply can not ignore his production this season, though — even with a few warts.

The Verdict

While he’s far from a pest, his offensive game (the way he contributes offensively) reminds me a lot of Corey Perry. They have similar body types, similar skating strides, and they found success at the OHL level the same way.


Experts Take on Jason Robertson

HockeyProspect.com’s Ryan Yessie on The Pipeline Show from May:

Jason Robertson is a player that Kingston drafted out of the Don Mills Flyers program in the GTHL. He was one of our favourite prospects there. I loved his intelligence. Especially at that level, when he was playing against younger players, his smarts kind of jumped out at you and he could score goals. Since then, it’s always been about his skating. His skating has been his biggest concern, which is interesting because his brother was just drafted in the first round by the Peterborough Petes. He doesn’t have Jason’s size — he is about 5’6 — but he is an unbelievable skater. It’s too bad Jason couldn’t give him a little bit of size and Nick couldn’t give him a little bit of speed. That’s going to be his biggest concern going forward is getting his feet going and his feet moving.

One of the things I really noticed in the Hamilton series is that his intelligence kind of compensates for that skating. When he’s carrying the puck up ice, he knows how to read lanes. He knows how to get that little fake just to get the defence going the wrong way in order to carry the puck into the zone. When he’s in the offensive zone, that shot is just outstanding. He’s one of the smartest players in the draft, so he knows where to go on the ice and how to take advantage of situations. Even though he is a step behind in his skating, he always seems like he is a step ahead or right on par with the guys that can skate well because his hockey sense lets him read the play that much faster.

HockeyProspect.com’s Russ Bitely on The Pipeline Show from March:

He’s a shooter first, for sure. Him and Tippett have got to lead the OHL in shot attempts and shots on net. That’s his best asset — a quick release that is accurate. Decent velocity on the shot, but I think he uses more deceptiveness, using defenders as screens and his accuracy and his quick release catch goaltenders off guard.

I think his vision is underrated, too. He’s a good set up man. I don’t think he gets enough credit; he gets more for his shooting than his craftiness with the puck. He’s elusive and always dangerous from the top of the circles down. He makes good plays and good reads in the offensive zone to create turnovers as well. Those are some of the highlights that you like about his game.

He’s just smart. He goes to the right places around the net to get his goals. He also has a good shot. I’ve seen him come down off the rush and make the zone entry and set a guy up going to the net, putting the pass between a guy’s legs. He has the offensive skill both ways.

More or less, the knock on him is that his skating is okay. It’s average; it’s not bad, but if he can get that extra gear and explosiveness, I think he’ll be a lot higher. I don’t think you can take away from his ability to score. His skating will improve as he gets stronger and develops his body more.


Jason Robertson Statistics

SeasonTeamLgeGPGAPtsPIM+/-Playoffs: GPGAPtsPIM
2015-16Kingston FrontenacsOHL541814326541122
2016-17Kingston FrontenacsOHL6842398129311513180

Jason Robertson Video