Who is Robert Mastrosimone?

First off, in a few years we’re going to be calling him Master Blaster, and I want to get out in front on this one in a vain hope that I can land myself on his wikipedia page for suggesting the nickname.

This 2019 second-round pick (54th overall) just finished his career in the USHL with the Chicago Steel with 60 points in 54 games as a forward. Our readers ranked him at 21 in our Top 25 Under 25 Poll, but this kid has the right stuff to rise like bread in the coming years.

Stats

Birth: Jan 24th, 2001 (18 years old), East Islip, NY
Position: Left Wing/Center
Height and Weight: 5’10”/170 lbs
Shoots: Left
2018-19 Team: Chicago Steel, USHL (31-29-60, 54 GP)
2019-20 Team: Boston University Terriers, NCAA

Strengths

Robert Mastrosimone is billed as a skater skilled at getting around defensemen, particularly on the toe drag, according to Future Considerations. He’s agile and crafty.

He can play both center and wing, although he’s expected to play on the wing at the college level and beyond. He has good acceleration, so he may prove to be a good forechecker in the future. His play-style has been described as “fearless” (or something to that extent) by multiple sources, so maybe that will translate into pressing play, sort of like Nyquist was in his last few years in Detroit.

He can switch between the role of playmaker and shooter, but his future in the NHL is probably as a goal scorer rather than a passer. This double skill-set reminds me again of Nyquist, or Jonatan Berggren.

Weaknesses

Mastrosimone is a little of the short side at 5’10”. That’s not Otto Kivenmaki-small, but a bit on the shorter side, so he will have to get creative with leveraging his weight. But, you know, Zetterberg was pretty good at the hockey, so the size critique and its “bulking up” side-car always feel like page-filler when the prospect reports go around.

A more legitimate weakness may be his top-end speed. Mastrosimone doesn’t have a bad top-end, but there just isn’t anything spectacular about it. It will be something to keep an eye on going forward.

The Future

Robert Mastrosimone is probably checking into his dorm this week at Boston College, where he will be playing next. With a player like Mastrosimone, he will probably spend a few years in college and a few years in the AHL before making the jump to the NHL. An NHL appearance in 2022 or so is probably a fair expectation. Basically, he’s the sort of guy you hope is ready to have some great ELC seasons when guys like Larkin, Mantha, and others are taking up a lot of the team’s salary cap. Personally, I’m looking forward to this kid in a few years. He’s cut from a mold that’s worked for the Wings in the past, so I’m optimistic.