Anaheim Ducks Draft Prospect Profile: Nicholas Robertson

The picture surrounding the second of Anaheim Ducks first-round picks has become clearer as both the San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues moved on to the Conference Finals, let’s continue looking at some potential picks with that pick.

With the St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks moving on to the Western Conference Finals, the Anaheim Ducks hopes of a low 20’s first-round pick were dashed, the last two teams duking it out in the West ensures the Ducks will have either the 28th or 29th pick.

What has not become any clearer, however, is how the second half of the first round will shake out with players still looking to impress scouts, and teams slowly narrowing down their draft boards, the draft outlook is murky as ever. Today, we’re going to take a look at a player the Ducks might target with their latter first round pick, in the way of a player who has some parallels with another Ducks 1st round pick.

Nicholas Robertson- Center- From Arcadia California, Current Team: Peterborough Petes (OHL)

Nicholas Robertson is a center currently playing for the Peterborough Petes of the OHL. A California native, Robertson shares quite a few parallels with current Anaheim Ducks forward, Nick Ritchie. No-one will ever mistake Nick Ritchie and Nick Robertson’s play styles as similar, but below the surface, there are some comical similarities.

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Both Ritchie and Robertson are the younger brother of NHL players. They’re both 2 years younger than their older brothers, both of their older brothers were drafted in the 2nd round within 5 picks of each other (39th overall for Jason Robertson, 44th overall for Brett Ritchie), and they were both selected by the Dallas Stars.

Both Nicholas Robertson and Nick Ritchie have spent their junior careers with the Peterborough Petes and both are projected to be drafted higher than their brothers due to a higher ceiling. It would be a pretty crazy coincidence if the Ducks were to take the younger Robertson and one that could be a nifty piece of trivia down the road.

But funny similarities aside, let’s take a second to talk about Nicholas. Nicholas Robertson is the type of player that Murray loves to take. He’s a hard-working player who has a high hockey IQ and is willing to learn. Robertson wants to be the best player on the ice even if he may not be the most naturally talented.

That doesn’t mean he’s not a talent, because he is, he’s a smooth, quick skating forward with a lethal shot. His skating is highlighted by his lightning-quick acceleration and non-stop motor. He does not shy away from physical play and is great at getting into the greasy areas to agitate the goalie.

He gets the greasy goals down low and, more than anything, makes the defenders lives miserable. As said before, Robertson wants to learn all facets of the game and get better by doing so. He works hard in all 3 zones and while his defensive game is rough around the edges, it’s not absurd to think that he could smooth it out and become a threat in all 3 zones.

It seems like Robertson might be a bit of an off the board pick at 28/29, as Robertson is projected to be pushing for a spot in the first round, but is not a consensus first-round pick. However, that hasn’t stopped Murray in the past from selecting a dark horse who he believes in, and Robertson could be one of those players.

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