Maple Leafs recall Nick Robertson, send Pontus Holmberg to AHL’s Marlies
The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled forward Nick Robertson from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, the team announced on Monday.
The @MapleLeafs have recalled F Nicholas Robertson from the @TorontoMarlies.
F Pontus Holmberg has been loaned to the Marlies.
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) November 6, 2023
Forward Pontus Holmberg was sent down to the Marlies to make room for Robertson. Holmberg has zero points in seven games with the Maple Leafs, but in two games with the Marlies, he’s scored one goal and one assist for two points.
Fans are hoping the five-foot-nine Robertson can provide an offensive boost with the big club. Robertson has five goals and six assists for 11 points in nine games with the Marlies this season.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe said Robertson will slot in on the third line with Max Domi, according to TSN reporter Mark Masters.
The Maple Leafs will face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night in Toronto. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. EST.
The 22-year-old has consistently produced in the AHL, scoring 27 goals and 30 assists for 57 points in 60 career games.
However, Robertson has struggled at the highest level, dealing with inconsistency and injuries, only scoring three goals and four assists in 31 career NHL games.
Robertson first joined the Maple Leafs during the 2020 post-season, playing four games and scoring one goal in their series vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets in the COVID-19 bubble tournament.
It has been a tough stretch of hockey since those first playoff games. During his four full professional seasons, Robertson has only played a total of 91 games between the NHL and AHL, with a career-high 38 games played between the two leagues in 2021-22.
The Maple Leafs drafted Robertson in the second round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. During his draft season in 2018-19, Robertson scored 27 goals and 28 assists for 55 points in 54 games. After being drafted, Robertson followed that up with an outstanding 55 goals and 31 assists for 86 points in only 46 games in 2019-29.
He represented the United States at the 2020 World Junior Championship, scoring two goals and three assists for five points in five games.