Robertson slowly developed into offensive force for Stars

Jason Robertson was always considered an exceptionally smart player, which laid the foundation for NHL success.

Once other parts of his game were polished, the Dallas Stars forward was able to develop into the offensive gem he is today.

“Jason Robertson, when I first got to him in Texas, one thing that jumped out right away was his hockey IQ,” said Derek Laxdal, Robertson’s first coach in the American Hockey League and former assistant with Dallas. “His ability to circumvent a play or to think outside the box off a rush -- below the goal line, shooting off the end wall, shooting off a pad, shooting off the net, passing to himself at full speed -- was incredible.

“He came up to us after junior and he wasn’t in the best shape, but he invested in himself to go up to (former NHL forward) Gary Roberts’ (conditioning camp), and the transformation that he had with his body and his physical stature was incredible. That gave him his chance.”

Robertson was selected by the Stars in the second round (No. 39) of the 2017 NHL Draft after having 81 points (42 goals, 39 assists) in 68 games as a 17-year-old with Kingston of the Ontario Hockey League. Now in his fifth full season with Dallas, the 25-year-old has 77 points (33 goals, 44 assists) in 75 games.

A foot injury slowed Robertson at the beginning of the season, but he’s caught fire since the start of 2025. He has 24 goals dating to Jan. 1, tied with David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins for the second-most in the League in that span, one behind Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers.

Robertson has an opportunity to add to his totals when the Stars host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, TVAS).

“It’s obviously pretty remarkable,” said younger brother Nicholas Robertson, a forward with the Toronto Maple Leafs. “It wasn’t really handed to him right away. He had to play in the American League and then on the fourth line and then got an opportunity due to injuries, and that’s when he started to grow.”

Robertson played two additional seasons in junior after he was drafted by Dallas. He began his professional career in 2019-20 with Texas of the AHL under Laxdal, who is now coach of Coachella Valley.

“I had him his first year coming into pro with Texas and it was a bit of a struggle for him, the pace and the demands of the season,” Laxdal said. “It was interesting. He hadn’t scored very early in the season, but once he got his first goal you could just see everything start to come together offensively for him. Then he just takes off.”

Robertson had 47 points (25 goals, 22 assists) in 60 games for Texas in 2019-20. Laxdal was with Texas through early December that season before becoming a Stars assistant under Rick Bowness.

Robertson went to Stars training camp the following season looking to earn a spot on the roster but got off to a rocky start.

“We were having training camp scrimmage, and he didn’t go in to forecheck on a puck,” Laxdal said. “He actually backed away from the puck and then we sat him out. We didn’t play him for five games until he understood he has to go in and compete for pucks. When we put him back in there, he just went on a tear, and he never looked back. So you could see that once he finds and gets comfortable at the level that he’s in, you can see what he can do.”

A quick study, Robertson had 45 points (17 goals, 28 assists) in 51 games for Dallas in 2020-21 as a rookie. He had 79 points (41 goals, 38 assists) in 74 games the following season and was off and running.

“Once he established that he was an NHL player, we just saw the natural talent,” Laxdal said. “I think for him, when he was in Dallas, he was insulated very well with Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski, who played an important part of developing that role with him now. Now that Joe is gone, I think he realizes he can be just as effective without him on his line.”

Robertson broke out with 109 points (46 goals, 63 assists) in 82 games in 2022-23. His production dipped last season with 80 points (29 goals, 51 assists) in 82 games, but he’s back to averaging well over a point per game since the calendar turned to 2025, with 49 points (25 assists) in 39 games.

He had 28 points (nine goals, 19 assists) in 36 games through Dec. 31.

“With my foot surgery over the summer, it took me a little time to get back into it,” Robertson said. “I really rushed to get back. There’s a lot of confidence out there now, and a lot of players, not just me have that now. A couple of guys in our room had slower first halves and then really turned on in the second, and I think it’s contagious. You see a guy like [Wyatt Johnston] on fire right now, you see a guy like [Thomas Harley] on fire right now. Guys lead by example and everyone feeds of it.”

Robertson admitted he felt pressure to play well early in the season hoping to be selected to represent the United States in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. Not being named to the team proved to be a weight off his shoulders.

Robertson is expected to be in contention to make the U.S. roster for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.

“My play wasn’t good enough regardless of the foot injury or not,” Robertson said. “I know I couldn’t have done better, and when I saw it didn’t happen and I didn’t make it -- it wasn’t a relief, I obviously wanted to make it -- but it was relief I could flush that away, focus on playing hockey with your team and not worry about the other stuff.

“That was definitely an interesting part of the season, but I think after that I started to realize that I can focus my time on the team, and I can focus on trying to get back to full health and try to be the player I can be for this team.”

It is safe to say Robertson is back, and he’s expected to be a key figure for Dallas in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Stars (50-21-4), who have clinched a playoff berth, are second in the Central Division, four points behind the Winnipeg Jets with a game in hand.

“I think once he got healthy and caught up, you’re seeing now what he’s capable of doing,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “I think now he’s on pace from that point on to be that 100-point, 40-goal guy that he is. He has elite IQ and elite finishing ability. He makes it look easy the way he releases the puck and the patience he has in those scoring areas where a lot of guys rush shots, he has the patience to wait an extra second and find a hole.”

NHL.com independent correspondent Dave McCarthy contributed to this report