Matthew Robertson

Matthew Robertson (born March 9, 2001) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Rangers in the second round (49th overall) of the 2019 NHL entry draft.

Playing career

Junior Robertson played junior ice hockey for the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League (WHL) from 2017 to 2021. He was selected by Edmonton in the 2016 WHL bantam draft with the seventh overall selection. He played seven games for Edmonton in the 2016–17 season where he got to be a teammate of his older brother Tyler Robertson, who played forward with the Oil Kings.

Going into the 2019 NHL entry draft Robertson was projected by many draft analysts as a possible first round draft choice. He was ranked 26th among North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau. Robertson said of being drafted "Just hearing my name get called, it's a dream I've had since a little kid. It's a surreal experience just going through it." USA Today writer Vincent Mercogliano immediately rated Robertson as the Rangers' 10th-best prospect.

Robertson returned to Edmonton for the 2019–20 season. He played 60 games recording 13 goals and 34 assists. After the season Mercogliano increased his rating to being the Rangers' seventh-best prospect. Pierce also said "He was mean. He was hard to play against. He really did start to play like a guy the size that he is with how quickly he can end plays and transition pucks." Mercogliano named him the Rangers' sixth-best prospect. After the season Mercogliano named him the Rangers' fourth-best prospect. Robertson said of the experience that "I learned a lot. On the defensive side – positioning, angles, just little things to be more efficient. ... On the offensive side, just getting shots through, knowing when to jump up and get into little pockets. I simplified my game."

Robertson started the 2022–23 preseason with the Rangers but was assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack before the season began. His 2022–23 season ended after 57 games when he suffered a shoulder injury. Although he improved offensively in 2022–23, Robertson committed too many turnovers and his defensive play was sometimes inconsistent. Robertson started the 2023–24 season with Hartford and was recalled to the Rangers three times, although he was returned to Hartford each time without playing in a game for the Rangers. After Hartford was eliminated from the Calder Cup playoffs, Robertson was recalled to the Rangers roster for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Prior to the 2024–25 season, Robertson received a qualifying offer from the Rangers at the end of his entry level contract despite having not yet played a game for the Rangers. During the offseason leading up to the 2024–25 season he worked with a mental skills coach to help with confidence issues that he felt had been holding his career back. Robertson started the 2024–25 season with Hartford, but was recalled to the Rangers on February 26. He was sent down before playing a game but was recalled again on April 13 and made his NHL debut for the Rangers the following day in a game against the Florida Panthers.

Robertson made the Rangers opening night roster to begin the 2025–26 season. He scored his first NHL goal on 18 October 2025 in a game against the Montreal Canadiens.

International play Robertson played for Canada national junior team in the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and won a gold medal while recording two goals and two assists in five games. In 2019, The Hockey News writer Ryan Kennedy said that although he provides some offense "it's his hockey sense and defensive positioning that has scouts excited." After the 2019–20 season, the Edmonton Oil Kings head coach Brad Lauer said that "His strength, for me watching him play, is his ability to skate. He can skate the puck out of traffic. He can jump in on the rush and be in that second wave of attack."

In 2021, Robertson described himself as "a defenseman who tries to focus a little more on the defensive side, but loves to jump up in the play." In 2023 an NHL scout noting that Robertson had not reached the NHL as quickly as expected said "It's been slower than expected. He's 6-4 and that good of a skater, but the development has slowed. I think part of it is his injuries; part of it is his sense. I wish he would have been pigeonholed better in that defensive defenseman, big-man role."

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2016–17 Edmonton Oil Kings WHL 7 0 1 1 2 — — — — — 2017–18 Edmonton Oil Kings WHL 67 7 17 24 44 — — — — — 2018–19 Edmonton Oil Kings WHL 52 7 26 33 26 16 4 4 8 10 2019–20 Edmonton Oil Kings WHL 60 13 34 47 52 — — — — — 2020–21 Edmonton Oil Kings WHL 22 4 18 22 22 — — — — — 2021–22 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 65 1 10 11 36 — — — — — 2022–23 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 57 5 18 23 36 — — — — — 2023–24 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 68 4 17 21 49 10 0 1 1 23 2024–25 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 60 1 24 25 55 — — — — — 2024–25 New York Rangers NHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2025–26 New York Rangers NHL 72 6 12 18 38 — — — — —NHL totals 74 6 12 18 28 — — — — —

International Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM 2018 Canada U18 5 0 2 2 0Junior totals 5 0 2 2 0