Matt Martin Raves About Noah Dobson, ‘He’s a Franchise Defenseman’

When the New York Islanders drafted defenseman Noah Dobson with the twelfth total decide within the 2018 NHL Draft, they had been drafting a participant who had all of the instruments. On the ripe age of 18, Dobson had showcased via his three QMJHL seasons that he was a powerful skater and had an offensive thoughts however might definitely maintain his personal within the defensive zone.

Flash-forward 5 years later, Noah Dobson is a staple on the New York Islanders’ second defensive pairing and is their high offensive defenseman.

After a couple of years of studying the NHL sport from veterans like Johnny Boychuk, Andy Greene, and Zdeno Chara, Dobson’s confidence rose exponentially early final season. Regardless of the Islanders coping with a plethora of points, primarily COVID-19, Dobson put New York on his again as finest he might.

By the ultimate month of 2021, with Ryan Pulock injured, the Prince Edward Island native notched 4 targets and 4 assists in eight video games whereas averaging 22:13 minutes per sport.

He had by no means averaged greater than 20 minutes per sport as much as that time.

With the factors coming, one might see the boldness dripping off of Dobson as he skated up the ice. Over the subsequent 4 months, 56 video games, Dobson scored 9 targets with 30 assists and completed the season because the Islanders main shot-getter with 190.

When that season was all stated and executed, Dobson had 13 targets and 38 assists to his title, each profession highs, as he set a career-high with 51 factors and averaged minutes performed with 21:28.

“If you begin scoring huge targets, you begin having a huge effect on the sport each evening. You simply maintain stepping, stepping up the ladder, and changing into higher and higher,” New York Islanders veteran Matt Martin instructed NYI Hockey Now.”

“He’s a franchise defenseman.”

This season, Dobson has skated primarily with 22-year-old Alexander Romanov, the Islanders’ solely offseason acquisition. The pairing has struggled a bit as they attempt to study one another’s tendencies. Head coach Lane Lambert separated the 2 a couple of occasions this season, and it appears they are going to be separated once more Friday evening as Dobson skated with Sebastian Aho at morning skate.

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Individually, via 21 video games in 2022-23, Dobson is third on the Islanders in targets (six) and assists (eight). He’s on tempo for round 23 targets and 31 assists. Final season on the 21-game mark, Dobson solely had three targets.

We noticed Dobson take it to a different stage within the shot division a yr in the past, and he’s taken it a step additional to this point this season.

As talked about, Dobson recorded 190 pictures on aim on 401 makes an attempt in 80 video games final season. He averaged 2.375 pictures per sport on 5.01 makes an attempt.

This season, Dobson has 62 pictures on aim in 21 video games, 2.95 per, on 140 makes an attempt, 6.67  per.

“I like his shot mentality, Lambert stated. “You understand, it’s powerful stuff to get pictures via. And typically, a few of these missed pictures that don’t hit the online, or on goal.. that’s the one factor you recognize, defenseman do. Shoot quick facet broad when there isn’t a lane, in order that they don’t get blocked, however I actually thought he’s executed an amazing job of that.”

There’s no query Noah Dobson is a deadly power offensively, however how has he faired defensively to this point in 2022-23 in comparison with final season?

On condition that his associate Romanov is a hitting and blocking machine, Dobson has seen these numbers dip a bit from final season.

After averaging .975 hits per sport, he’s averaged .809 per, and his blocks have gone from 1.87 per sport to 1.76.

He’s turned the puck over much less, from 1.025 turnovers per sport to .904. He has 14 takeaways, 0.67 per sport, after simply 0.33 a yr in the past.

On the superior analytical entrance, courtesy of our mates over at Natural Stat Trick, Dobson owns an 84 Particular person Corsi For. That quantity is calculated by taking the variety of shot makes an attempt his workforce will get at even energy whereas he’s on the ice and dividing it by the variety of shot makes an attempt the opponent will get whereas he’s on the ice.

Whereas Dobson has been on the ice, the Islanders have outscored their opponent 16-14 however have given up over 30 extra scoring probabilities than they’ve created, being outshot 193-188. Though these numbers are usually not on Dobson alone, there’s no query he’s nonetheless engaged on the defensive facet of his sport.

However he’s undoubtedly executed a stronger job by way of his decision-making.

This previous summer season, Islanders normal supervisor Lou Lamoriello signed Dobson to a three-year extension value $12 million. He then adopted that up by sharing what he noticed in his younger defenseman and what he hopes to see going ahead:

“What I like about him [Dobson], which most of us see, is his hockey instincts and his offensive capabilities so far as studying performs. And I consider that the endurance we had with him, the choice that we made to have him right here slightly than return to juniors as a result of he couldn’t go to American League [AHL), we knew he had the endurance and he had the self-discipline to simply follow each single day, get a chance once in a while and simply grew as a affected person participant, grew in energy and actually labored at his sport.

And he had the chance to try this and put further classes in after common practices as a result of he knew he wasn’t going to be taking part in. After which when he had the chance to get full-time, ice time as he did final yr, he grew all through the season.”

What Noah Dobson has executed to this point in 2022-23 is that final yr wasn’t a fluke and that what we noticed after the primary two months of the 2021-22 season is what Dobson is. For the New York Islanders to have a participant of that caliber at 22 years outdated is essential for his or her “win-now” ideology in addition to their future success.