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Dallas Stars Daily Links: The Rise of Robertson

Jason Robertson didn’t turn into a rookie sensation overnight. Plus, exit interviews, who’s on the NHL hot seat, and more.

While he may fall short of winning the Calder Trophy for the NHL’s best rookie, Jason Robertson’s rookie season was nothing short of incredible. Perhaps the only thing more impressive than what he accomplished was how much he had improved:

“If you go back to January in training camp, he didn’t have a good camp when we put him with our top players,” explained [head coach Rick] Bowness... “He just wasn’t ready for that. He’s got to be the most improved player in the league. His improvement from [where he was] in January to where he is now, there’s absolutely no comparison. His competitive nature has improved, his intensity has improved, his play without the puck has improved.”

What’s more, Robertson’s impact goes far beyond Dallas. As one of the few NHL players of Asian descent, the Dallas Stars forward is becoming somewhat of a role model for similar young hockey players, something Robertson takes pride in:

“It’s an honor to be someone that anyone can look up to,” he said. “It’s nice to be a role model for Asian Americans and Filipinos, but I just want to be a role model for everyone. Whatever background they come from or wherever it is they’re from. I’m from California and eventually moved to Michigan. You don’t expect a lot of NHL players coming out of California, so it’s a neat story that some people certainly can relate with.”

You can read more about how Robertson got to where he is today from Kyle Shohara here.

Stars Stories

Here’s some more Robertson love, as well as some for fellow rookie Jake Oettinger:

The pair will also be representing the US in this year’s IIHF Men’s World Championship, alongside Texas Stars defenseman Ryan Shea:

With exit interviews underway, we can officially start saying goodbye to the Stars’ 2020-21 season:

Around the League

David Quinn is the latest New York Rangers casualty — who might the franchise tag as his replacement?

Here are some other names whose seat might get too hot to handle in the coming weeks:

Some deeply troubling news out of Chicago:

Goaltending is everything in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, so which teams stack up at the top?

Finally, could the NHL play a larger role in women’s hockey in the near future?

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