WHL Stars & NHL Debuts: Former Oil Kings D Robertson skates to win against reigning Stanley Cup Champions

Sunrise, Fla.- Matthew Robertson has waited a long time for this moment.

On Monday night, a lifelong dream came true as he sprinted out of the tunnel, swatted a pile of pucks off the boards, and took a solo turn around the ice with the New York Rangers logo splashed across his chest.

The 24-year-old defenceman’s NHL debut was a dramatic match that saw his Rangers score four unanswered goals for a 5-3 comeback win against the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers.

“It’s been my dream to wear the red, white and blue since getting drafted in 2019,” Robertson told reporters postgame. “There’s a lot of emotions going on. Just stepping on the ice, wearing the jersey, and, yeah, there’s a lot of emotions and a lot of nerves. I was just very excited and proud of my family and everyone who saw me get here.”

It was an eventful turn for the Sherwood Park, Alta. product, who nearly scored five minutes into the game off a JT Miller feed.

He finished with a +1 rating, two shots, and a takeaway in 15:24 of ice time.

Most importantly, Robertson started the breakout that led to Miller’s game-tying goal late in the second period.

“He was really good,” Rangers Head Coach Peter Laviolette said afterwards. “He’s a big guy that moves well and, like I said, he played really well down in Hartford, so to get him up into some games was good. It would have been nice if he had scored on that first shift, and he made a heck of a shot and Bobrovsky just got a piece of the pad on it, I think, but overall, really good.”

Robertson has 25 points (1G-24A) in 60 games to lead all defencemen in scoring on the AHL’s Hartford Wolfpack.

The 6-foot-4, 200-pound rearguard played parts of five seasons, including three turns as an alternate captain, with his Edmonton Oil Kings from 2016 to 2021.

He piled up 31 goals and 96 assists for 127 points over 208 regular-season matches, in addition to another eight points (4G-4A) in 16 playoff games as the Oil Kings reached the Eastern Conference Championship series.

New York selected Robertson with the 49th overall pick in the second round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.

He was also named to the WHL East Division Second All-Star team in 2019-20.

Robertson recently played his 250th AHL regular-season game, tallying 11 goals and 69 assists for 80 points over four professional seasons.

The New York Rangers will close out their season on Thursday, April 17, as they host the Tampa Bay Lightning.