The ups and downs of Noah Dobson's season
Noah Dobson of the New York Islanders skates against the Montreal Canadiens at UBS Arena last month. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Two things can be true for Noah Dobson. He can be considered an NHL veteran as he enters his fifth season in October. And he’ll still be just 23 years old.
“It’s hard to say,” the Islanders defenseman said with a laugh during Monday’s breakup day when asked which one he felt like. “It varies. Some days you feel like a 23-year-old. But I’m really comfortable here.”
This is also true: The Islanders need more consistency in Dobson’s defensive work and as the power-play quarterback for him to fulfill the expectations that came with being the 12th overall pick in 2018 and to help them improve in 2023-24.
“I did some things I liked a lot,” Dobson said. “I’m excited that I can use this summer opportunity to work on things still and keep getting better in my game. It’s a long year. There’s always ups and downs.”
Dobson had 13 goals and 36 assists in 78 games, tying his career high for goals and coming two short of matching his career high for points. But the Islanders ranked 30th on the power play in the regular season at 35-for-222 (15.8%) and then went 1-for-18 (5.6%) in six playoff games, a key factor in their elimination by the Hurricanes in six games. Dobson had two assists in the short playoff run and had five goals and 14 assists on the power play during the season.
He averaged 20:23 of ice time, but coach Lane Lambert often did not rely on Dobson to match up against the opponents’ top lines.
But it’s a zigzag path many accomplished NHL defensemen have taken in their development and Dobson has not played one game in the AHL since being drafted, jumping directly from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League to the Islanders.
In contrast, Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock, the 15th overall pick in 2013, played 163 games for the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport before finally earning a full-time NHL role at age 23. His defense partner Adam Pelech played 105 AHL games and didn’t play a full NHL season until he was 23. Pending unrestricted free agent Scott Mayfield was 25 in his first full NHL season after playing 223 games with Bridgeport.
“You’re going to have ups and downs throughout the year,” Pulock said. “I think it’s just finding a way of working through that and finding your confidence. A lot of times with a player like [Dobson], a skilled, offensive guy, a lot of it can depend on your confidence and how you’re feeling that way. Sometimes, it’s tough to get back and you have to work that much harder to get it back. You have to focus that much more on the little things that can help you.
“Maybe he wasn’t his best all season but he’s still young. He’s still growing. He’s learning. I think it’s important for him to just regroup this summer and get ready for next year. I think he’ll come back next year and have a great year.”
Dobson, though, doesn’t lack confidence in his game.
“I think I’ve always had confidence,” Dobson said. “I just thought sometimes things came easier or things came harder than different times. There’s times where I felt I was playing really well but wasn’t getting results and there’s times when you weren’t playing great but you were getting the results. There’s ebbs and flows.”
The Islanders very much need Dobson to trend upward.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
