Ben Robertson transfer

[Trotsky]

i also think there are pretty good odds that the whisper network made it clear to robertson that there were opportunities to be had in the portal and seeing his name in the portal wasn't the first time someone in michigan noticed that he'd be a good fit

[stereax]

i also think there are pretty good odds that the whisper network made it clear to robertson that there were opportunities to be had in the portal and seeing his name in the portal wasn't the first time someone in michigan noticed that he'd be a good fit

[BearLover]

Ive been checking in on Robertson's performance periodically hoping to find him publicly quoted.on why he left. has been Still haven't seen that, but saw this today:

Michigan Daily

"When (Robertson) went in the portal, it's like, 'Dude, you're made to play at Michigan' with how he thinks the game," Michigan coach Brandon Naurato said Tuesday. "And he's responsible too, he's not high risk, high reward. He makes the right play at the right time."

Who knows if that's the rationale in Robertson's mind, but it's along the lines of why I thought he left; a more natural for his game.

Based on his performance up there to date, looks like he's really getting to show what he can do when surrounded with high end talent playing in a high powered offense.  Two years there (vs. here) will give him a much better shot at sticking in the show.

It's not just his assists.

• 11 games, 0G, 11A, 11pts
• P/PG: T4 on the team at 1.0
• +/-: T1 at 11
• TOI: leads team 19:26
• PIM: 2
  
• Blocked Shots: 2d on the team with 18.leader has 21, but 3rd is all the way down at 13
  

CHN has developed their CHIP stat, which I have no technical knowledge or understanding of how good a stat that is, but CHN describes it as Akin to WAR in baseball

Amongst defensemen, he's trailing only BU's Cole Hutson and Ty Hanson of UMD.

As someone who has doomed plenty about losing Robertson, I think there's a lot in this thread that is just not correct.

Robertson's stats are inflated currently.

First of all, let's look at his 11 points (all assists, zero goals). 9 of these 11 points came in massive blowouts against weak opposition: four games against Mercyhurst and Robert Morris that Michigan won by a combined score of 32-5. In eight games against stronger opposition (Providence, WMU, Notre Dame, Wisconsin), Robertson has *two* assists.

Second, Michigan's other top offensive defenseman, Henry Mews, is out for the season. I suspect that means Robertson alone  is quarterbacking the top PP and will be on the ice whenever Michigan desperately needs a goal.

Third, Michigan has extremely high-end offensive talent that Cornell didn't have.

Putting this all together, I'm not surprised at all by Robertson's output and I think it is totally in line with how much he produced at Cornell. I don't agree that this is going to help him get an NHL contract. Whether he gets an NHL contract is a function of whether he is talented enough offensively to counteract the defensive liability of being an undersized defenseman. It is not a function of having more eyes on him or getting to play with more stars.

The NHL has eyes everywhere. It's why Dalton Bancroft was a hot commodity after his *sophomore* season, and it's why there was a bidding war for Sam Malinski. Robertson wasn't drafted because he's a defenseman under 6' who, despite having enough offensive talent to be a great college player, does not have the all-world skill of a Quinn Hughes or Adam Fox.

Thus far he is performing at expectation and I don't think going to Michigan is going to help him get to the NHL. As to why he left, I don't know, probably a combination of multiple factors including financial reasons, the coaching change, and style of play.

And yes, we'd be materially better if he was still on the team. Others can meme about it but him leaving was pretty backbreaking for our at-large chances this season given how thin the margins are.