Ranking the top 10 prospects for the NY Rangers: No. 6 defenseman Matthew Robertson

With training camp for the 2021-22 NHL season set to begin in less than a month, it's time to update the USA TODAY Network's annual ranking of the top prospects in the New York Rangers' organization. In the coming weeks, we'll publish a series of reports on each of our top 10 overall players in the system, as well as in-depth positional analysis. These rankings are based on conversations with Rangers GM Chris Drury and director of player development Jed Ortmeyer, coaches and trainers who have worked with these prospects, scouts from around the world and other sources. Any players who are 25 or younger and have played fewer than 25 NHL games are eligible for consideration.

No. 6: Defenseman Matthew Robertson

Even in a COVID-19 shortened 2021 season, there was no denying the jump prospect Matthew Robertson made.

Something clicked for the New York Rangers' second-round pick (No. 49 overall) from 2019, which Edmonton Oil Kings assistant coach Luke Pierce traced back to some soul-searching moments during the pandemic.

"He turned a corner where he really started to buy into feedback and having an open dialogue and conversations about his game," said Pierce, who has run a defense featuring Robertson for the past three years. "That’s where we really thought he started to takeoff."

With a better of understanding of how he needed to play to be successful, Robertson morphed into the WHL Central Division's Defenseman of the Year.

"He was outright dominant at times last year," Pierce said. "He was a guy who really benefited from some time off because he's such a student of the game and he puts in so much work."

The 20-year-old became a point-per-game player (four goals and 18 assists in 22 games) by "simplifying" his offensive approach, according to Pierce. But it was Robertson's aggressive all-around play, particularly in the defensive zone, that made the biggest difference.

"With the work of (Rangers assistant director of player development) Tanner Glass and a lot of the development guys there, they really emphasized him being a little bit harder at times — using his body and size," Pierce said. "That was really something over the past couple of years that we've been urging and we thought it really popped last year."

At 6-foot-4 and over 200 pounds, the Edmonton native is an imposing specimen. But more so than his size, it's the way Robertson moves that draws praise from scouts.

"I don't know many guys that skate as efficiently and fluid as he can at that size," Pierce said. "There's no question that his skating, as a guy that’s 6-4, is exceptional."

His skill set fits what Rangers director of player development Jed Ortmeyer called "today's new-age NHL."

Teaching the lefty-shooting defenseman to use his mobility, strength and long reach to his advantage has been the primary focus of his development. In order to maximize those strengths, the mild-mannered Robertson had to learn to play with an edge.

As his confidence bloomed in physical situations, the results improved by "leaps and bounds."

"He was mean," Pierce said of Robertson's play last season. "He was hard to play against. He really did start to play like a guy the size that he is with how quickly he can end plays and transition pucks."

On top of playing with more attitude, Robertson's uptick in points production stemmed from "getting his shot through (traffic) on the offensive end and dragging the puck across the blue line to the create offense," according to Ortmeyer. But don't put him in the same category as skilled defensemen prospects and power-play quarterbacks such as Nils Lundkvist and Zac Jones.

"His foot in the door, I think, will potentially be that he’s responsible defensively," Ortmeyer said. "With this skating ability and his offensive upside, that's only going to make his transition out of his own zone easier – making that first pass and being able to skate the puck out of trouble. But obviously, you’ve got to defend first to play in the NHL, and we think that he can do that."

After routinely playing more than 30 minutes per game while leading the Oil Kings last season, Robertson is ready for his next challenge.

He'll compete at Rangers' training camp with Lundkvist, Jones and fellow WHL star Braden Schneider for an open spot in the NHL lineup, but the common belief is he'll begin the season with AHL Hartford.

"The Rangers’ depth on defense is probably the envy of a lot of teams in the NHL," Pierce said. "If he spends time in the American League, I think it'd be great for him to get those types of minutes to really hone what he's going to be at that next level."

What he's going to be, Pierce believes, is "a really solid 200-foot guy that kills penalties." And to prepare for that eventual role, he'll need to "continue to improve his processing" and decision-making within games.

"We worked a lot for him on retrieval and scanning and deception, and he's got all those tools," Pierce said. "It’s just, like probably most players, adjusting to that pace of the game and understanding how to manage every shift. He can pretty much make something happen every time he's on the ice (in the WHL). But when you get to that (NHL) level, sometimes a real good shift is just not really having anything happen."

ICYMI: Top 10 prospects for the NY Rangers

No. 10: Forward Brett Berard

No. 9: Forward Will Cuylle

No. 8: Forward Karl Henriksson

No. 7: Forward Morgan Barron

No. 6:Defenseman Matthew Robertson

No. 5:Check back on Thursday...

Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.