The Sheet with Jeff Marek - On the Sheet: Cam Robinson on the NHL Draft

Starting point is 00:00:00 This episode of The Sheet is sponsored by the OCS Summer Pre-Roll Sale. Sometimes when you roll your own joint, things can turn out a little differently than what you expected. Maybe it's a little too loose, maybe it's a little too flimsy. There's a million ways to roll a joint wrong, but there's one roll that's always perfect. The Pre-Roll. Shop the Summer Pre-Roll and Infused Pre--roll sale today at ocs.ca and participating retailers. Please welcome to the program someone I've wanted on for a while to recap what we just saw. The good, the bad, the ugly, the tacky at times, the cringy at times, Los Angeles.

Starting point is 00:00:43 Oh boy, hey Cam Robinson from Elite Prospects how you doing today? I'm doing well pal how you doing? I'm doing good I really don't like to just treat something like a pinata especially after everybody's had a whack at it the candies are gone the parents have come home to pick up the kids the pop and chips are all done and I don't want to just keep beating on what we saw on Friday But it's not as if the Commissioner didn't warn them all like this is clearly something that Gary Bettman in the NHL was not in favor of and They tried I feel bad for Steve Merrick's

Starting point is 00:01:20 I think he really gave it a shot to try to make it entertaining But given the limitations it was going it was something that was probably doomed cam from the outset. Agree or disagree? I, I agree. And like, like you said, is that you got to feel for Steve Merritt because you know, from his side of things, he sets up all the NHL events for people who don't know is that it was, it was well set up, especially for the media.

Starting point is 00:01:41 So for, for my work, um, maybe one of the best setups, you know, we had the internet worked, we had great sight lines, we had to walk half a step to get to the players for their interviews afterwards, all that was really smooth, that was really great. But they were up against it without all the teams being there. You know, normally the draft takes over an entire city. You know, the whole hockey community, it descends upon Nashville or Montreal or Las Vegas. And even, you know, in a place like Las Vegas,

Starting point is 00:02:09 you know, it maybe doesn't take over the entire city, but much of it. This one, you know, the NHL kind of took over LA live, this little concrete jungle in downtown LA, right around crypto.com. And outside of that, nobody really knew. And you didn't have the opportunities to meet and mingle. And I know that the team,

Starting point is 00:02:25 some of them really enjoyed having that quiet space to make their decisions in during the time, but I know that they felt the loss of that social aspect as well. And not just the scouts going out for pops afterwards, um, but actually like the GMs and everyone working together and being able to facilitate things. And what are you hearing? This is what I'm hearing. This is what I have going on. Um, so that was all lost. And then of course, the awkwardness,

Starting point is 00:02:45 the technical difficulties. I think, like you said, you know, Gary has not been shy at saying this was not a league decision. This was, we told you, we warned you. And you know, he, he, he might not have been overly disappointed with how difficult it was so that he could be like, and did I tell you so?

Starting point is 00:03:02 His line that I will take away from the weekend was we're here to serve. We're here to serve. This is what they wanted. We're here to serve. Um, this was, um, this was a home run for the New York Islanders and, and not just with Matthew Schaeffer, but let's start there. It's great a player as he is. And I remember you and I talking about this in like November, maybe even before cam.

Starting point is 00:03:26 August. Was it August? Yeah. Yeah. So like the, the, the, the, like head and shoulders above everybody else in this draft. And that's only part of it. The Islanders are getting someone that

Starting point is 00:03:37 they're going to be really proud to wear their sweater for as long as he's going to play in the NHL. Like they got a great player. They got an even better person, not a dry eye, for as long as he's going to play in the NHL. Like they got a great player. They got an even better person. Not a dry eye, not a dry eye anywhere. You know, not a, not a cold heart anywhere

Starting point is 00:03:52 when he kissed the breast cancer ribbon on the Islanders jersey. And by the way, kudos to the Islanders for doing that in the first place. It was a sublime moment for a sublime player. Your thoughts, Cam Robinson. Yeah, that was, and I put this out there right afterwards and not something that I've really spoken

Starting point is 00:04:11 about publicly at all, but I lost my mom this year. And that moment, and I know I talked to Matthew about it through the year a little bit, we talked about it, but that moment, like I was choked up, I had to hold back some emotion myself during that. And I think that a lot of people felt that way because it was such a raw and human moment, right? Where you get to see, and these are,

Starting point is 00:04:30 these are still just 17, 18 year old kids trying to reach their dream, something that they have committed their entire worlds to the top to this point. And so that, that just flow of emotion coming out of him. And it just, it just shows again, he's, he's a spectacular human being. And there's always brightness coming from him and there's positivity emanating from him, despite the things that he's had to go through. And I think you're absolutely right that the Islanders have a supremely gifted hockey player, but an even better human being and someone that's going

Starting point is 00:04:59 to represent their franchise extremely well, someone who I could envision wearing the captaincy, you know, for years and years there too. And so that was, that was definitely the pinnacle of the entire weekend, which would have, I think even been amplified further if it was centralized and it was the traditional way. But you know, they also, they also did very, very well with the rest of their picks too. And I think a lot of that what they were fortunate they didn't expect. And Matthew Darge said that we did not expect to have K. Sean H. And Victor Eklund sitting there at 16 and 17. And when they

Starting point is 00:05:29 look to move those picks to get up to get James Haggins, you know, it was they didn't think that that type of player would be available for them. And so to get those two players as well in the first round and then to mind the talent that they got on day two with Procroft and Romano, you know, Lorelia, like they did very, very well. A plus, A plus, they won the draft for sure. Oh yeah. They, they, they nailed it.

Starting point is 00:05:50 I know they're, we all know they're trying to move up to get James Higgins. Wasn't gonna happen, didn't happen, but we're not talking about like a plan B. Eklund and Atchison, like that's, that's really strong. And by, and by the way, Cam, welcome to the world's loneliest club. I joined when I was 16 years old. I joined when I was 16 years old. I know it and everyone here offers condolences. Who else did it for you?

Starting point is 00:06:15 And by the way, did you see that note online that popped up from a gentleman by the name of Kevin Ferguson about Pat Faloon and the Philadelphia Flyers. No, I did not. So the Philadelphia Flyers took Porter Martone, sixth overall. When Pat Faloon was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in 1995, okay. The picks that went the other way turned into Daniel Briere and Mike Martone Porter Martone's father. Nice. Very nice. Wild one. Hey, still a little spice, a little flavor pocket in there for you. Anyway, um, flyers went like,

Starting point is 00:06:58 well if you can get on the flyers page here really quickly, like, let me, I got this down here. So, uh, six foot three, two, oh eight, six foot four, one 83, six foot six, 208, six foot four, 183, six foot six, 232, six foot one, 198, six foot six, 212, six foot five, 195. And I think they were looking at Simon Wang if they hadn't have made that trade with the Penguins with the 31st pick.

Starting point is 00:07:18 I think they were taking the big defenseman from Oshawa. Philadelphia Flyers went size. Cam, the Flyers are back baby broad street bullies hey the redux they definitely had a type coming into this class and they and they stuck with it um you know i i'm a huge porter martone fan i think that that was excellent at pick six i think that anywhere and i talked to porter about this afterwards you know is that basically from four till seven those four guys in that zone they't, they didn't really know where they're going to end up, but they knew they were going to probably fall in line and somewhere in that. And so from our tone at six, I think

Starting point is 00:07:51 great value. I think that they, I think they left a little meat on the bone jumping up to get Jack Nesbitt when they could have maybe sat back. And if he was there, just taking them, if not going to skill play there, but obviously they liked the power. They liked the size, they liked the potential. And then like you said, I am a co at 38, huge person, you know, Shane, that's sad. I think it, I think he is a first round talent that they got at 48. Um, you know, I think he has a lot of power forward elements that's going to allow him to play like an energy line role on a third line. That's going to be a playoff type of guy. And then Jack Murtaugh, not the biggest player, but he's, you know, he's got pace, he's got

Starting point is 00:08:23 IQ, he's, he's a battler too. So I think Philly did mind a lot of value on day two, and they're coming out with a much deeper prospect pool than they came in with. Brady Martin is someone that really rose throughout the year. You and I talked about him at the, what are we, Combine. You and I were talking about Brady Martin, we were just gonna end up now. I was firmly convinced he was going to Utah.

Starting point is 00:08:44 All the signs were he was going to Utah at four, he ended up going five, Utah took Caleb Dane YA. Utah, interestingly enough, was the only team that visited the farm. Like I would have thought that there would have been more teams. I would have thought that Nashville and Philly and Boston, like all those teams around there,

Starting point is 00:09:03 if you're really looking at Porter Martone considering How much it is part of his story and his background and his makeup? I was shocked that Utah was the only team that visited the he was there for the draft He didn't go up. No, I got stuff to do with the farm I'm here at the farm I'll set up the big screen and sit on the tractor and watch this thing But you saw was the only team that actually went to visit the farm in Elora.

Starting point is 00:09:27 That one surprised you. Yeah, and that was part of the reason why, you know, there was, you know, we had had Intel going back a little bit that not only did he just wow everybody, including Utah at the combine with his interviews and you know, having GMs and stitches in the whole room, you know, Cacklin is that he impressed them again. It's like the hardworking individual, you know,

Starting point is 00:09:46 well-respected all that, that Utah was really dialed in on him too. Right before the draft, I just got a little nugget of information with how they kind of communicated their last thing where it had more of like a, you know, good luck to Brady versus, you know, looking forward to see him on Sunday,

Starting point is 00:10:02 which led me down to this is gonna be Caleb De Noye. And I think that they just wanted a little more two-way guy, someone that could fit into their lineup that they're perceiving in the next three to five years where they, I think they really, really liked Brady Martin. I think that that would have been their second choice if Caleb Danoyer wasn't there, but for Nashville, you know, this is a, this is a highly, highly competitive player. And, and you know, like the farm is, like you said, it's such a big part of his world is that, you know, I was told that teams, NCAA teams had come knocking, you know, can we get this guy? Can we recruit him? And basically,

Starting point is 00:10:32 Brady's like, you know, I'm either going to be a hockey player, or I'm going to be a farmer, or I'm going to be both. And it's that's those are the options, right? Yeah. And so, you know, he is highly, highly committed to that, that part of his life. It's funny, too, because I thought Nashville was going to take Dane,ane YA mainly because Barry Trotz at the Memorial Cup was all, and Gordon McDougal laughed about this when we talked to

Starting point is 00:10:51 him Friday, me and Pierre during our draft show, Barry Trotz was all over Monkton and all over Dane YA. And that's why, you know, maybe, you know, Utah grabs and was like, ah, that was a guy that that very trots really want to hear. Michael Mesa goes second to the San Jose Sharks, to which Cam Robinson says. Amazing. Terrific, terrific pick. I think obviously Matthew Schaefer would have been the perfect pick for their organization if they had, if they had stayed at the pole position there because it just, it would have knocked Sam Dickinson down to a number two role, which I think he's going to be better served longterm. He has so many great tools. Physical package, everything's there for him, but I don't, I don't know if

Starting point is 00:11:32 he's going to be that true number one guy who's going to eat up 28 minutes. And he might because he took another step forward this year for London. And we're going to see him in the NHL next year. Schaeffer would have been perfect, but if you can't have Schaeffer having, having, being able to stack Macklin Celebrini and Michael Misa down the middle, being able to move Will Smith over to the wing and have him play make off to the side of Celebrini, all those pieces fit just beautifully into a puzzle for the Sharks. And I think that they are nearing the point now and it won't be this summer, but perhaps next summer that they start to say, okay, now it's

Starting point is 00:12:03 time that we overspend on a highly impactful free agent, maybe a Capri Zof, perhaps, or we go out and we spend, we spend some of all of this, all these young assets we've recruited now to purchase, you know, that guy, you know, when Chicago went out and got Marion Hosa, right? Where you spend a little more than you should, but you get that piece that can start

Starting point is 00:12:22 to push you over the top. And I think San Jose is gonna start to get into that zone, similar to what Columbus is looking to do right now. Jake O'Brien goes eight to Seattle. I really like this player, highly skilled, has room to grow into his large frame as well. You know, Gary Roberts was hired by the Bulldogs, the Banford Bulldogs, as the director of player Development. So you know that, well not just O'Brien, but everybody on the Bulldogs is gonna be on point when it comes to things like nutrition and their training. So I don't worry about him not getting to NHL size and now that he's gone to the

Starting point is 00:12:59 Bulldogs, I kind of think he's gonna get there early. And he likes fishing so it's perfect that he goes to Seattle for crying out loud. Let me close on this one. Quick thought on Jake O'Brien. I was kind of surprised that he was still there at eight, to be honest with you. He was a wild card.

Starting point is 00:13:13 I think he had that disruptor potential. I think, again, a lot of teams did like him. I think that he was even considered up as high as two, that it was consideration up that high up on the board as well. So he's one of these players, and I've made the comparison a few times. Elias Pettersson, that wiry frame, the creative and electric handling ability. He has a pretty good shot. He just doesn't use it enough. Now I found

Starting point is 00:13:34 out something interesting about O'Brien too. So he weighs about 170 pounds right now. It kind of looks like he's got sticks coming out of his shirt sleeves, right? He has put on 25 pounds of muscle in the last two off seasons combined. So that alone, coming in at 145 into the Ontario Hockey League, and he's played big minutes the entire time. His size hasn't been an issue whatsoever. And he's been able to stack on that much weight. I don't think that's gonna be an issue

Starting point is 00:13:59 for him to get up and play at 185 or 190 when he's in his prime of his career. And when you add all of the skills that he has, I think it's a home run for Seattle who needs a genuine superstar and not to say that he's going to 100% get to that level. But I think that of the players remaining on the board there that he 100% had the highest ceiling to make it and to be a true impact player for the Kraken.

Starting point is 00:14:21 You know, and then afterwards, you know, the Kraken rattled off for defenseman right away. It's like, okay, we need D. We've got like, Benirs and Wright and Catten. Now we've got, now we've got O'Brien. Let's start to address the positional need here. Yeah, for sure. And like Blake Fiddler in the second round,

Starting point is 00:14:37 I think that, you know, a right shot defense were at six foot four. You know, he was in my first round and I think that probably a few teams had him right around there and it just didn't work out. So getting him at 36 was really good. Even a guy like Carl Anborn at 205 I think has NHL potential. So they're mining talent but like you said is that they're pretty stacked up up front

Starting point is 00:14:55 now and again some of those names you mentioned, Berkcat and then someone's going to have to move over to the wing long term and I imagine it's going to be Catten. So now you've got a Catten playmaking off one side, you've got an O'Brien probably playmaking the middle on a different line, and you've got all sorts of talent on the middle to supplement them too. So now you get a little more size on those wings too and they should be cooking. In the barter roll era. Cam has been great and long overdue. Great work as always on elite prospects. Look forward to catching up again. You'll be good. Appreciate it. You too, Bell. Dark man, you try to give me little medicine I'm like, nah man, that's fine I'm not against those methods, but I knew It's me, myself and how this gon' be fixing my mind

Starting point is 00:15:54 I threw all the records I turned on the music I threw all the records I turned on the music Thanks for watching!

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The Sheet with Jeff Marek - On the Sheet: Cam Robinson on the NHL Draft

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