Toronto Maple Leafs: Nicholas Robertson has the heart of a champion

Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Nicholas Robertson took an unconventional road to the 2019 NHL Draft. But he could wind up being a second round steal for the Leafs.

Deep into the heart of summer, most NHL players, draft picks, and prospects are likely to be enjoying valuable time away from the game before training camps begin. Before the major ramp-up to the kind of workload required if one wants to perform at a world-class level. Not so for Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Nicholas Robertson.

He never took the summer off. Instead, Robertson signed up to train at Gary Roberts’ high-performance centre in Aurora, Ontario. He could have gone back to home base in California and enjoyed the idea of having been picked at the 2019 NHL Draft by the Maple Leafs, a team slated for the next gear postseason, assuming general manager Kyle Dubas and company have done their homework.

But stats and calculations do not always cover the gambit of realities involved when it comes to building a winning franchise. What NHL hockey demands postseason is something beyond talent, speed, and vision of the game. Something called heart. And it usually shows up in the gritty work, perseverance and courage of players who go beyond the stat sheet. Players who are never satisfied with their last shift, and ask for game tapes on a regular basis.

What does this have to do with Robertson? If you haven’t had the chance to watch his post-draft interview, it might be well worth the time to do so. Because what I couldn’t help but notice throughout that interview, was an attribute highly sought after in any gifted athlete – heart.

Born two months premature, on Sept 11, 2001, Nick Robertson’s life hovered on a most precarious thin line. Physically frail, yet a spark of will seemed to keep him fighting for a few more hours. His parents on perpetual standby, as he wavered on life support.

Lifesaving medications dispensed, the tiny baby wincing through the shots. Three of them. A fourth and final attempt with the medicine that could likely end his life finally pulled him over to this side of the chasm. Just enough to make it through.

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It became part of his personal mandate, that fight to survive. Brought up by parents who supported his purposeful will, and helped guide him to his own sense of personal mission. To dream big. To work hard. Harder than others. So he did just that.

He moved from playing in the minors in California to Michigan, in order to gain greater exposure and opportunity in the sport.

Eventually, Robertson found himself on the Peterborough Petes roster at age 16. His numbers didn’t hit stride immediately. He had much to learn, and the team itself didn’t have the kind of supporting cast that might have vaulted him into the kind of conversation sought out by talent scouts.

But that changed the following season, as his elite puck handling skills, dynamic skating drive and mobility, along with a creative playmaking vision, led to a doubling of his previous goals and assists. Suddenly, Robertson was on the OHL radar as a top 10 for players under 18 for points per game, totaling 55 points in 54 games despite being sidelined with a wrist injury.

His work ethic made another notable showing at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he scored three goals as part of Team USA’s offensive output vs Team Canada. These were high-quality goals coming off both the forehand and backhand. Robertson showed off his willingness to work the off-wing when necessary.

Despite his achievements, talk about his diminutive stature kept prevailing. It was surely part of how he was assessed on draft day in June. There is plenty of prejudice to go around for an NHL prospect standing at 5’9”. I believe it is part of his gift, and what has propelled him to work so hard.

The picks slipped by and took him to number 53 on the second day before landing. Robertson found himself standing beside Mike Babcock, and could barely contain himself. All the miles travelled had brought him face to face with the coach whose son he had played alongside with, in the juniors in Anaheim.

The coach whose house he sought while out trick or treating on Halloween after moving to Michigan as a young teen. Just to say hello to that coach. The coach who probably watches for and rewards players with a huge heart more than most. Heart and raw talent? I see a future here for this player. With or without Babcock behind the bench.

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Just how formidable will he be on the biggest stage of all? Ultimately, it won’t matter when Robertson gets the call-up. Because when it happens, this player’s life force is going to engage. I can imagine him being a fixture on the roster at some point. I can also see him mentoring fellow players years later, coaching, and offering insightful commentary drawn from his own life experience.

Because what drives this kid isn’t just the heart, but the unswerving decision to prove everyone wrong. And that, for him, is nothing new.

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