Noah's Arc
Dobson’s transformation has been the story of the season
Good Morning, Islanders Country.
In entertainment, an arc is a transformation or inner journey of a character over the course of a story. The character begins as one sort of person and gradually transforms into a different sort of person in response to changing developments.
In today’s newsletter, we look at the transformation of Noah Dobson, from talented prospect to budding star. In his third NHL season and first with an 82 game schedule, Dobson has started to reach his potential, becoming the player the hockey world thought the Islanders were getting when he was selected 12th overall in the 2018 NHL Draft.
Coming up, the Isles practice in NC on their second day off and we take a look at Noah Dobson’s emergence this season. Plus, the greatest poke-check in NHL history and the Islanders play softball at Shea.
Let’s dive in.
📰 NEWS: After Wednesday’s travel day, the Islanders used their second day off to practice for 45 minutes at Wake Competition Center in Morrisville, NC.
◾️ GOALIE SPLIT: Trotz did not reveal whether Ilya Sorokin or Semyon Varlamov would be in net against the Hurricanes. The expectation is for the pair to split the final two games of their five-game road trip ending Saturday night against the St. Louis Blues.
◾️ GOOD TO GO: Forward Kyle Palmieri is expected to be in the lineup after being held out of practice. Palmieri limped off the ice momentarily during Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to the Dallas Stars but finished the game.
⏭ NEXT UP: The Islanders are in Raleigh tonight to visit the Metropolitan Division-leading Carolina Hurricanes. Face-off is 7 PM.
📊 STANDINGS: The Islanders are currently 13 points out of the second wild-card with 13 games to play and one game in-hand on 8th place Washington.
THE TRANSFORMATION OF NOAH DOBSON
“I’ve been playing with him for two years now. He’s so mature, how he acts, how he prepares himself for a game or even for practice. It’s just great to have him around. He’s a great leader for us.”
That’s not a quote from a current teammate, it was Acadie-Bathurst Titan captain Jeffrey Truchon-Viel about a 17-year-old Noah Dobson in a 2018 SportsNet article praising the then QMJHL defenseman for being a player beyond his years. Its praise like that made Dobson among a top-rated defenseman in North America heading into the 2018 NHL Draft.
"Labeling Dobson an offensive-zone threat is an understatement, hockey prospects writer Hannah Stuart wrote ahead of the Draft. “He’s a solid playmaker, even in tight traffic, and has a terrific outlet pass. He often feels like he’s just a step ahead of the rest. His hockey smarts allow him to weigh the risk in a given situation and decide if it’s appropriate, and he can dictate the pace of a game. He loves to jump into the play and create opportunities off the rush."
It’s taken until his third season, but Dobson’s offensive instincts and reliable defensive play have made that projection a reality which will have a lasting impact on the future of the Islanders’ blue line.
BIGGER ROLE
In a year that has been short on positives, Noah’s ascent has been a silver lining. The 22-year-old Islanders’ defenseman is enjoying a breakout season accruing 10 goals and 40 points that rank him 22nd among all defensemen in the NHL.
But the season’s trajectory hasn’t always been upward for Dobson. He was a healthy scratch 11 games into the season due to inconsistent play and watched from the press box when the Islanders took on the Tampa Bay Lightning on November 15th. Ryan Pulock suffered a lower-body injury that night and as the Islanders returned home to open UBS Arena, regulars on the blue-line entered COVID-19 protocol making Dobson one of the more experienced on defense.
Forced to carry the burden of the bigger role, the early results weren’t always encouraging. There were ups and downs as the calendar turned to December but soon thereafter Dobson emerged from being a healthy scratch trying to find his way to a key contributor brimming with confidence.
THE HIGHS
On December 5th, Dobson gave UBS Arena their first great moment, scoring the game-tying goal with just four seconds left against the Chicago Blackhawks to secure a point. It was the first goal of the year for Dobson and a sign of things to come offensively this season.
“I think I definitely had a few chances out there tonight,” Dobson said after the game. “I think just trying to focus on being hard in the D-zone and killing plays, and [trying] to get up on the play. Help the forwards out and create some offense.”
THE LOWS
On December 9th versus the Nashville Predators, the Islanders were tied 3-3 in the closing seconds. Dobson retrieved the puck, had time behind the net, but hastily committed an unforced turnover that led to the game-winning goal. It was a gut punch for a team still winless at their new home.
“It was definitely a moment in the season,” Dobson said. “In general, the biggest thing for me is maybe last year if I made a mistake like that, it would kind of affect the rest of my game. Now I have the confidence in myself (that if) I go make a mistake, I go back out and have the same confidence with the puck and still make plays. I think that’s a big thing in my development this season.”
A NEW YEAR
On New Year’s Day, Dobson lifted the Islanders to victory over the Edmonton Oilers with his first-career OT winner, part of a two-point (1G, 1A) performance. The goal was Dobson's second in as many games and his fifth of the season, giving him 10 points (5G, 5A) in as many games.
"Any time you get a chance to contribute like that, in a big game, get a big win, especially in a day like today," Dobson said. "The atmosphere was great, the crowd was buzzing. I was really happy to score a big one. I'll definitely remember that one."
DOUBLE DIGITS
On March 3rd, Dobson netted his 10th goal of the season, reaching double-digits for the first time in his three-year NHL career. In doing so, he became the first Isles defenseman 22 or younger to score at least 10 goals in a season since Bryan Berard had 14 in the 1997-98 season. At this point, all of Dobson's 10 came after the December 5th game versus the Chicago Blackhawks. Over that span, no NHL defenseman had more goals.
"As a young player the more games you're in the better you feel and more comfortable you feel," Dobson said before the Islanders played Seattle in February. "That comes with confidence. That's a big thing, when you're playing well you're playing with confidence so just trying to focus on that each night and keep getting better each night and building off it and I've got a lot more confident and comfortable now."
AMONG THE BEST
As the season progressed, Dobson gained more ice time which translated to more confidence. Through the first 11 games, Dobson averaged about 18 minutes in time on ice. Now, he’s averaging almost 22 minutes. It’s probably too early to determine the Prince Edward Island native among the same rank as players like Cale Makar and Roman Josi, however, some reporters (such as Kevin Weekes) have made reference to Dobson’s game drawing similarities.
The assessment is fair when you look at the stats. Since February 1st, Dobson ranks third among defensemen in points with 24. The only two players in front of him? Josi and Makar respectively. In that same span, Dobson is in a five-way tie for third in power-play points among defensemen with 10 points.
Those he is tied with include Makar, Quinn Hughes, Victor Hedman, and John Carlson. Pretty elite company.
“It’s pretty vital for every team [to have a guy like that],” said Barry Trotz, who coached Josi as a young player in Nashville. “Not only power play, but just five-on-five play. Those guys are efficient, they can get out of their own end. They can support the attack and at times they can lead the attack, at the right time. And those guys are extremely important.”
THE MENTOR AND MENTEE
For the majority of the season, Dobson has been paired with future hall-of-fame defenseman Zdeno Chara. It’s been stated on numerous occasions how crucial Chara has been for Dobson’s development, especially since we’ve seen Chara successfully mentor Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy in the past.
"I think he’s playing with a lot more confidence," Chara said in Janaury. "That’s huge for anyone who plays this game. You can see in his game he’s making some plays, being there for us in crucial times. He’s using his hockey sense and his skating ability. He’s playing really well."
“He makes me look kind of like a 14-year old in that photo,” Dobson joked about a photo-turned meme of the future Hall of Famer with his arm around his young student. “He’s always talking throughout the game,” Dobson told Kevin Kurz in The Athletic. “Whether it’s what he saw on a play or what he thought we could have done different … that’s a big part of what he does. He’s a big communicator, and it’s helped me a lot.”
THE FUTURE
Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock are excellent defensemen and as a pair, they’re among the best. However, the Islanders haven’t had a true number one two-way defenseman in a long time. Dobson is certainly trending in that direction leaving his name in the mix of some of the NHL’s best defensemen.
In a season of what could’ve been, Noah Dobson has Islanders fans thinking about what could be for the defenseman in the years to come.
📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, Noah Dobson is only the 4th Islanders defenseman to have ten goals and 30 assists at age 22 or younger, joining Denis Potvin (3 times), Tomas Jonsson (1982-83) and Bryan Berard (1997-98). Nick Leddy was the only other of any age to do so in the last 12 years.
🗓 ISLE REMEMBER: It happened 15 years ago today, the greatest poke-check in NHL history. On Easter Sunday in 2007, the Islanders defeated the New Jersey Devils 3-2 in a shootout to earn a trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the most improbable playoff berths in franchise history. Wade Dubielewicz was the hero. The 28-year-old goalie, playing in only his 17th NHL game made poke check saves in the shootout on Brian Gionta and Sergei Brylin to send the Islanders into the postseason.
🔗 Islanders expect Kyle Palmieri to be available vs. Hurricanes by Andrew Gross, Newsday “Kyle Palmieri’s maintenance-day absence from the rare Islanders’ practice on Thursday is not expected to impact his availability Friday night against the Metropolitan Division-leading Hurricanes in the penultimate match of a five-game road trip.”
🔗 Islanders now wait for top prospect Aatu Raty’s arrival by Peter Schwartz, WFAN.com “Raty will very likely start next season in Bridgeport, but his impending arrival will give the team and the fan base a glimpse of what may lie ahead.”
And we leave you with this…in an ode to Opening Day, here is Bryan Trottier wearing. different type of glove in a charity softball game at Shea Stadium in 1982.
You can read more about the exploits of the Islanders softball team and their battles with the Rangers in this fun story from Cory Wright in 2017.
THE ISLANDERS LINEUP:
C Mike Revien (son of team eye doctor)
1B Dave Langevin
2B Bryan Trottier
3B Clark Gillies
SS Monty Trottier (Bryan Trottier's brother)
OF: Ken Morrow, Wayne Merrick, John Tonelli, Ralph Sellitti (team financial controller)
P: Billy Carroll
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