Date of Birth: March 13th, 2003
Place of Birth: Plano, TX
Nation: Canada / USA
Position: Centre
Height: 5’7″
Weight: 172 lbs
Shoots: Right
Introduction
Justin Robidas has certainly been high on my list since the start of the year, in comparison to other scouts. His ability to use his speed effectively, using his smaller frame to his advantage in circumstances has been nothing short of impressive. While he is on the smaller side of prospects, only standing at 5’7, I still believe that Robidas should be a top 50 pick for the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. In his rookie QMJHL season, after being drafted 2nd overall, he managed 21 goals and 22 assists for 43 points in 57 games. This season, he is off to 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points in 28 games. The start of the season was great for Robidas as he was racking up points at more than a 1PPG pace, but he’s started to slow down. In this prospect profile, I will cover everything that I enjoy about Robidas game, as well as the criticisms I have.
Skating
As mentioned earlier, I believe this is Robidas best attribute. He’s extremely quick on his feet, and knows where to skate to create a play, and has left me speechless on multiple occasions.
What I enjoy the most about Robidas skating is his ability to pick up speed quickly. Evident in the video above, Robidas does a terrific job at crossing over and hustling hard for the puck before ripping it home.
Not only is Robidas quick, but he is explosive. He does a terrific job at accelerating, and is able to burst into the offensive zone within a matter of seconds.
My issues within his skating is that sometimes he doesn’t utilize it properly, or skates himself into danger often as well. These are things that Robidas will need to work on, as I feel Robidas might be better at pushing the outside of the ice instead of putting himself right in front of 3-4 opponents.
Playmaking/Vision
Robidas is a decently smart player when it comes to reading the game. I enjoy watching where he places himself away from the puck to set himself up for a shooting opportunity. He’s a sneaky player that is constantly in open ice, waiting for a pass to get a shot off. He’s also impressed me by getting by opponents in order to make room for a pass and give himself a clear-cut to the net.
In the clip above, we see how Robidas waits at the side of the nets for a perfect angle shot if the puck gets to him, which even in his last 10 games, has scores from this exact location multiple times, in an almost-exact same way.
Robidas also has solid playmaking abilities. He does an excellent job at creating space through his skating in the offensive end in order to reposition the defence and deliver a nice open pass to his teammates.
In the clip above, we can see how Robidas generates space in the offensive end in order to give his teammates an easy shot on net, which he scores on. In the clip below, Robidas does a fancy toe-drag and dishes out a nice pass for a goal that would be difficult for any goalie to stop.
Shooting
Robidas surprisingly has a terrific shot. We’ve seen an abundance of smaller player who can really fire home pucks in the past few drafts, and you can add Robidas to that list. Robidas shot may not be wicked hard, but the accuracy of his shots are what beat the goalies. Here are a few clips that express just how lethal Robidas can be with shooting the puck.
This first clip shows how Robidas likes to track behind his teammates for a loose puck. He does this quite often when his team breaks into the zone, and he’s scored quite a few time when the puck has been dropped back to his stick.
This second clips shows once again how dangerous Robidas can be when he’s following behind his teammates. He gets a dangerous drop pass and absolutely rips it home.
This third clip perfectly described Robidas shot. When he has room and he can see an area that he can score from, he does it.
As you can see, Robidas can easily maintain his high-speed skating and pick his spot on the net quickly. These are prime examples of how dangerous Justin Robidas can be.
On top of all these sweet goals, refer to the very first video in this article again for another special snipe. Robidas is a terrific player in this sense that he can skate well, he can make some clean passes, and he can definitely shoot the puck.
His puck control is also something special, as he utilizes his body well in staying low to the ice, and creating as much space as possible between the opponent and the puck.
Worries
Robidas has become one of my personal favourites for the 2021 NHL Draft, but that’s not to say he’s a perfect player. While I admire all of the aspects of the game he is good at, there are some shaky parts.
His passing. While Robidas does have a great mind for creating plays, and can get the job done, he often misses out on a great play due to a missed pass, or by trying to do too much. There were plenty of times within my viewings where Robidas would aim for a nice pass and put it far too ahead of his teammates. There are also times where Robidas is up against two opponents and he just lets the puck go against the boards and the play dies. These are things that Robidas will need to work on in order to get to the next level, and while his confidence is generally good, it could be more consistent.
Another struggle with Robidas is that for a centre, he can be lazy. In the defensive end, he seems to float around a lot, and for a centre, it isn’t what you really want. There are also times in the neutral zone where he seems disengaged or waiting for the puck to come to him. There are games where this does not occur and Robidas works hard, but it isn’t as consistent as I would hope.
Conclusion: Why you should draft Justin Robidas
Robidas to me, is someone who has a high ceiling and has plenty of time to develop and become more consistent. While he is a smaller player, this shouldn’t worry teams. He is bulky, and is not knocked over easily. There are countless times where I see Robidas protect the puck from bigger players, and even initiate a puck battle with them. Robidas has tremendous speed but can make plays while keeping his momentum. He has an excellent shot and can play an important role on the power play with the amount of patience he has, and his ability to create space. There is one thing for certain though – Robidas doesn’t let his height effect his game.
Rankings
Personal- 32
RecruitScouting- 40
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