Catching up with Stars forward Jason Robertson

Jason Robertson is a finalist for the Calder Trophy given to the best first-year player in the NHL. The 6-3, 210-pound forward will turn 22 on July 22 and is coming off a rookie season in which he had 45 points (17 goals, 28 assists) in 51 games. He paced the Stars and led all NHL rookies in assists, while his point-per-game total is the highest for a Stars rookie since Mike Modano.

Robertson finished his season by playing for Team USA at the
World Championships in Latvia
. He tallied nine points (four goals, five assists) in 10 games for the bronze medalists.
Robertson splits his offseason between California and Michigan and said he'll soon start his summer training with his brother Nick, who is a forward in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization.
The easy-going Southern California native recently took the time to answer questions about his rookie campaign, offseason training and more.
Q: You spent the playoffs in the Edmonton bubble with the Stars and then moved into your rookie campaign this season. What has the process of becoming an NHL player been like for you?
Robertson: Going all the way back to the bubble, that was a great experience for me just to get to watch and see what it was like to be a professional. I was able to see how the behind the scenes worked, the tempo of preparation and practices, and see how things work at the highest level. I'm thankful to all the coaches and players because I do think they helped me a lot and it was a big advantage coming in for training camp. And this year was up and down, it started slow, but I think I learned a lot there, and just started to understand what I needed to do.
Q: You put a lot of work in the past offseason. How much did that help this year?
Robertson: It's all tied together, really. Being in the bubble, I saw what I needed to be better at. You watch the older guys practice and prepare and play the playoff games, and that's just like a huge classroom. You see what you need to do on the ice, and it clicks that you need to improve yourself off the ice in training by doing certain things. So I went into the offseason with a plan and my trainer helped me a lot, and I think it worked. The things I worked on helped make me a better player on the ice.
Q: What did you work on?
Robertson:When you watch games, you realize how important it is to be strong on the puck and build strength. It really helped when you got into the corner and you had to be physical and try to push people around and just win battles. And as much as I think I built strength and made myself better off the ice, my work with my skills coach on the ice probably helped more than anything. I started to understand more just what I needed to do in those situations during a game.

Q: How will your rookie season impact your training this summer?
Robertson: It's the same thing. I've watched all my games from last season, and I really have learned a lot just from going over and over what happened and how I reacted. I'm going to Michigan pretty soon to start my heavy training, and I know what I have to do. After playing a season and experiencing games, I can look at certain situations and say I want to be better at this or better at that. It's always a learning experience, and I really enjoy that part of the game.
Q: Were you a better player in the NHL than you were in the minors or junior hockey at winning puck battles and anticipating plays? It's interesting that you made a big step up in competitive level, but that you seemed to handle it so smoothly.
Robertson: Definitely. I think probably the place I improved the most was the little details without the puck. I know that's been preached to everybody, but the coaching staff really emphasized how important that can be to me with my game, and it worked. Defensively, being in the right position, having a good stick, knowing where the puck is going to be, all of that makes things easier. This is the highest level of hockey and you're playing with the best players in the world, so they're going to put the puck where it's supposed to be. That helped me a lot. And playing with guys like I did (Joe Pavelski, Roope Hintz) all of them, they were great in helping me.

Q: There is much debate on how to balance offense with defense in today's game. How did you adjust?
Robertson:I definitely learned that you have to be smart. If you cheat toward offense, you're going to get burned. It doesn't always result in a goal, but there's usually a scoring chance against, and you don't want that. That's why the coaching staff preaches the little details, and I found out last year they were right.
Q: What's a day like when you're training in Michigan?
Robertson:Last year was serious because my main goal was to make the team and I didn't stop thinking about that. It was huge motivation. This year, I want to take the next step and become one of the leaders on the ice, playing impactful minutes and helping us win games. I want to be an impactful top-six player and help this team make the playoffs. That's also huge motivation. I'm super excited for it. I'll do a lot of the same things I did last year, Monday through Friday on the ice and off the ice every day, but this year I'll have my brother too, so that's going to help a lot.
Q: How important is it being with Nick?
Robertson:It's been great. Having Nick train with me always pushes me to go even harder. We're very competitive and he's in the same boat I was in last year (to secure a regular spot on the NHL roster), so his push and his determination is going to be through the roof, and I'm going to try to match that. We will definitely compete against each other, and I think that can only help.
Q: Do you compete off the ice, as well?
Robertson:Yeah, pretty much everything is a competition for us. We're going to try to take up golf, and I think that'll be fun. I'm not any good at it, but I know it's a big thing with hockey players, so we both need to learn to get good. We'll be competitive, but it'll be fun.

Q: You seem to have found a good balance between intensity and calm on the ice. How do you do that?
Robertson:I think a lot of that comes with confidence. This year, for example, I was trying to rush everything and trying so hard not to make a mistake early in the year, and I didn't play well. But I started to understand the game, and it became easier, and then you get the confidence. I played with elite linemates and that really helped me have the confidence that I was going to be okay, and then you just build game to game. I feel like I'm a good player.
Q: How was your experience at the World Championships?
Robertson: The World Championships was tough. The big ice was so different, and there was so much extra space that you could hold onto the puck. It was perimeter hockey, and that was an adjustment. But it was awesome, playing against a lot of different players and then playing with a lot of different players. I definitely wanted to play, and as soon as they asked, I knew I was going. It was good to be able to play more games. I wish it was in the playoffs, but that didn't happen this year. It was a great experience, and it did make me look forward to getting back on the ice and playing games in October.
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This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika, and listen to his podcast.