After another year that saw injuries slow his rise, the 21-year-old Toronto Maple Leafs prospect returned to the ice at the Ford Performance Center in Etobicoke, Ont., on Wednesday, prepared to suit up for another prospect tournament in the Traverse. City, Mich., this week — and another attempt to become the Maple Leafs’ x-factor. “It’s just another chance to get some race reps,” Robertson said after practice ended. “I think I’m out about three months or so and I definitely want to be fit when it really matters, going into preseason and camp with the Leafs.” The 2019 second-round pick doesn’t have much to prove against his blue-and-white prospects, his real competition to take the ice in this main training camp down the line. But Robertson is well aware of the eyes that will be on him in Traverse City to see how he handles his role as a young veteran. “It definitely is [about] playing the right way. I’m definitely going to play a lot more minutes, I’m going to be counted on in a bigger leadership role now,” he said of his goals for the tournament, which runs from Thursday to Monday. “I definitely want to put that expectation and pressure on myself to do well and play well.” For assistant coach Manny Malhotra, who is set to serve as the head coach for the Traverse City tournament team, those are exactly the types of boxes he and his staff will expect the young Maple Leafs to check. “The big thing for us in camp is we want to see their competitive nature,” Malhotra said. “How will they fight? Do they have the ability to challenge for points? Do they take the information and immediately apply it to the games? It’s that hockey IQ. We’re looking for them to give their best and show us what they’re capable of.” As for Robertson, Malhotra said the young winger’s desire to find progress in Traverse City is already clear. “I just saw him on Day 1 and the last two days, he’s prepared well. He looks sharp,” the coach said. “You can see he has the hunger to want to perform and be successful with his goals this year. My role in this camp in Traverse City is to prepare the best for guys like him, guys like Alex Steeves – guys who want to take that next step – just make sure they’re ready for main camp and perform maximum.” It’s been an offseason of toil and progress for Robertson after a 2021-22 campaign that saw him battle more injuries, produce at a point-per-game pace during a 28-game hitting streak with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies last season and tally the his first NHL regular season goal during a 10 game streak with the big team. With his abilities already in doubt, the work this summer has been concentrated in the gym. “He’s getting bigger and stronger,” he said of his offseason focus this time around. “I think I’ve gotten a little thicker in the legs and upper body, working on being consistent on the ice. … At one point in the summer I weighed about 185, and then I kind of plateaued. I think the main focus sometimes as a smaller guy is that you have to add weight, but I think for me, I just added thickness, added more foundation. “I did better on my bike test than I’ve ever done before, so my numbers have definitely gone through the roof significantly.” As he looks to take the next step in his career, there may be no better mentor for the young Robertson than the man who will lead the bench for this four-game stretch in Traverse City. Who better to learn from than a former first-round pick who himself had to overcome some slow starts in the big leagues, a few months in the minors, before becoming an everyday NHLer — and staying there for 16 years? Few understand better than Malhotra the need to push, grow and adapt to finally find a way into that coveted life out on the ice, under the lights. And the key to unlocking that next step, in Malhotra’s view, is more than just stacking up highlight-reel plays. “Obviously everyone coming into camp has the ability to play hockey really well,” the coach said with a smile. “So I think the biggest thing about being a pro would be consistency. Just maintaining that level of professionalism, that top level of performance, on a daily basis, and not having those valleys and peaks in the way you play, number one. “Number two would just be understanding the game — implementing systems, being in the right place at the right time and making the plays you’re expected to make.” Robertson will get another chance to prove he can bring that consistency, that pro-level awareness, starting Thursday when Toronto’s prospects take on the young guns of the Dallas Stars. Matches will follow with prospects from St. Louis Blues, Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings, before the 21-year-old could move on to Toronto’s main camp and preseason. Whether this month-long stretch ends with Robertson still wearing a Maple Leafs sweater or another trip back to the AHL, he’s all about the process. “I think for me it’s about doing the best I can and playing the way I can,” he said of the path ahead. “I know I’m confident in myself, that I’m that caliber of player.” Maple Leafs assistant general manager Ryan Hardy, who oversees the Traverse City team, tends to agree. “If you look specifically at last season, he played 28 games in the American League and scored 16 goals,” Hardy said of the organization’s young sniper. “That’s a 40-goal clip, for a kid who just turned around [21] the other day. This is unbelievable. He’s extremely driven, he’s a young man who loves hockey, so I think he’s almost hitting the threshold.” And so we end up with another prospect tournament, another training camp, another preseason. Another chance for Robertson to show the Maple Leafs that he’s the player he thinks he is — and the player they think he is, too. “You know, every year I’ve been like, ‘This is my year.’ Every year I try to make the team. Even when I was drafted three years ago, I wanted to make the team,” Robertson said. “My goal is obviously not to go back to the American League, my goal is to play in the NHL like every year. Nothing has changed. So, in terms of your chances of making the team, that’s about it [Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe]. “But for me, I have to put myself in the best position to do it.”
