Eric Robinson kicked off the 2018-19 season with a bang by leading the Cleveland Monsters in points by the end of opening weekend. Scoring five points in three games is pretty impressive for a guy who only had one professional game under their belt at the start of the season.
His first 33 games with the Monsters were astounding. Both Head Coach John Madden and Alternate Captain Zac Dalpe pointed out that he was filling the role of professional hockey player quite well.
Robinson’s speed and skill caught the eye of the Columbus Blue Jackets management and on December 31st was called up to the big club.
During the three games Robinson was in Columbus, it was clear he needed to work a bit more on his aggression. He was constantly getting outmuscled and was a bit tentative when it came to laying hits on bigger guys.
After being sent down on January 11th, there was a change in Robinson’s strength. He had zero problem laying hits and agitating the opposition. He even accepted a fight from the Charlotte Checkers’ Roland McKeown on Februay 5th.
Six days after the fight, the Blue Jackets recalled Robinson from the Monsters.
Robinson made a decent fill in for injured players. However, he still struggled to produce.
The best place for him to grow would have been with the Monsters. Unfortunately, management didn’t put him on the Monsters roster by the end of trade deadline. Therefore, Robinson was stuck in Columbus when players were activated off of injured reserve as the season came to a close.
Imagine the things Robinson could have learned if he had been able to be sent down to the Monsters for their playoff run.
Eric Robinson 2018-19 Stats
Games Played : 13 (CBJ) / 45 (CLE)
Goals : 0 (CBJ) / 12 (CLE)
Assists : 0 (CBJ) / 12 (CLE)
Points : 0 (CBJ) / 24 (CLE)
Penalty Minutes : 0 (CBJ) / 15 (CLE)
Contract Status
Robinson is a restricted free agent this summer. The Jackets would benefit from singing him to a one or two year, two-way contract. However, in my opinion, Robinson should spend substantial time in the AHL to hone his skills. It was clear he wasn’t quite ready for the big club this season.
High Point
The Months of October and November were the highest of high points for Robinson. in the first 17 games of the season, Robinson notched 13 points for the Monsters. During that time, he procured four multi-point games. One of which was a three-point game on November 2nd where Robinson scored one goal and two assists.
Low Point
Playing for the Blue Jackets was definitely a struggle for Robinson. The specific set of skills which Torts wants from his players was there. However Robinson was unable to execute those skills with the zest and confidence as he did at the AHL level.
Report Card
How would you grade Eric Robinson’s 2018-19 Season
| A | 0 |
| B | 11 |
| C | 41 |
| D | 10 |
| F | 4 |