Dobson huge for Titan at Mem Cup

When Noah Dobson was 15, he made the decision to forgo playing midget hockey in Canada and instead travelled to Austria to play for EC Red Bull Salzburg.

Dobson said the move allowed him to get daily ice time and improve his skills. And although it’s a long way from his Summerside, P.E.I., home, the star defenceman for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan said it also helped him mature.

“The whole experience part of growing up, living on your own in Europe for a year was pretty incredible to see different parts of the world,” Dobson said. “Just the whole experience was great for me and I really took it all in.”

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Titan drafted Dobson sixth overall in 2016 and he has found success since.

The 18-year-old is the top prospect for June’s NHL draft playing at the Canadian major junior championship. He helped the Titan capture their first league title since 1999 with a six-game victory over the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in the QMJHL final.

Acadie-Bathurst has carried that momentum through to Sunday’s Memorial Cup final in Regina, finishing the round robin at 2-1 and earning top spot by virtue of the tiebreaking formula.

“It’s been an exciting year,” said Dobson, the No. 5-ranked North American skater in NHL Central Scouting’s final draft report. “I think years like this only happen once in a lifetime.”

Titan coach Mario Pouliot said he started to notice how much Dobson improved following last year’s Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup, where he represented Canada’s gold-medal-winning U18 team.

“We are really happy to have him with us because since the first day ... he’s a great example for all of our young players, especially last year,” Pouliot said.