The Toronto Maple Leafs had season-ending shoulder surgery in January.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Nick Robertson’s determination has never been in question.

Just two months after season-ending shoulder surgery, the speedy Toronto Maple Leafs forward was back on the ice, working with return-to-play staff as he began his road to becoming an everyday contributor next season.

"It’s great to see. It seems like he’s responded well to surgery when I’ve bumped into him and we’ve chatted," Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said on Wednesday. "He’s got a long road ahead of him. You start feeling good and you get back on the ice but it is still a long road to playing." 

The 21-year-old Robertson injured his shoulder after a hit from Los Angeles Kings defenseman Matt Roy on Dec. 8. Initially, Keefe said the club attempted to avoid surgery and tried a rehabilitation approach in an effort to see if the speedy forward could return this season. That would have seen Robertson return in 6-8 weeks.

But on Jan. 16, the Leafs announced that Robertson's season was over, shutting him down for six months.

Just before his return to the ice this week, Robertson attended the Maple Leafs' 5-2 win against the Carolina Hurricanes. 

"We were looking back on one of the pre-scouts and you saw the impact he made in that game, You kind of forgot that he was a young player on the rise for us,” Keefe said.

Robertson had two goals and three assists in 15 games this season. He had an excellent training camp but was unable to crack the opening-night roster, primarily due to salary-cap limitations. He eventually found his way on the roster shortly after an injury to defenseman Jake Muzzin. He seemed poised to be in the conversation for an everyday spot in the lineup when the injury took place, one of many the California native has had to endure in his short professional hockey career.

In the 2021-22 season, Robertson suffered a non-displaced fracture of his right fibula in 2021-22. The season before that, he had a knee injury in his 2020-21 debut. A concussion and groin injuries have also occurred along the way.

But it’s Robertson’s drive to push through all of that and return stronger that has the Leafs excited about the forward making an impact for them in the future.

“He’s so committed and he’s dealt with these types of situations before where he’s had bad injuries that he’s had to find his way back from” Keefe said. “In this case, he’s going to have a long period of time and training and such. A guy that will be an important player down the road for sure.

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