AMHERST, N.S. – If the Amherst CIBC Wood Gundy Ramblers were looking for size and experience, they found it in the six-foot, 210-pound Robbie Burt.
“Robbie’s got some presence and he’s been through the major junior circuit,” Ramblers coach Doug Doull said. “I believe the guys will look to him as an on-ice leader.”
The 20-year-old was recently named the Ramblers away-captain, while Caleb Rich is the home-captain.
Burt spent three season in the Ontario Hockey League, one with the Kingston Frontenacs and two with the Oshawa Generals, then played two seasons with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League before making his move the Ramblers at the beginning of the 2019-2020 season.
“We’re looking for a lot of production from Robbie and expect him to be an example in practices every day, and he’s getting better in that regard,” Doull said. “The same with Caleb. We expect him to round-out his game and be an example to our guys.”
Burt says it’s ‘an honour’ to be named a Ramblers captain.
“Amherst has a really good hockey history, they’re a first-class organization, and they treat us very well, so to be able to lead our team is great,” Burt said.
He hopes to leave an impression on young Ramblers players.
“We have a good group of returning guys to help with the leading, but we do have good group of younger guys too, so hopefully we can have an impact on the careers of the young players starting here.”
Burt is from Hillsburgh, Ont.
“It’s about 30 minutes outside of Toronto. All my family is from there. It’s a family-oriented town. It’s kind of a town nobody leaves, and I love it there.”
Burt says Doull, along with general manager Jeff LeBlanc, helped make his transition to Amherst seamless.
“I wanted to continue playing Major Junior but the options weren’t there for me, so it was an easy decision once I started talking to Doug and Jeff. They welcomed me with open arms,” Burt said. “I also knew a couple of the guys here before I came out, so I reached out to them to see what it was like in Amherst and all the positive things they told me have turned out to be true.”
One of the players he reached out to was Rich.
“Caleb and I grew up playing against each other since we were 10-years-old up to when we were 15. He’s always a guy I’ve competed against and he’s a good hockey player,” Burt said. “In practice we compete against each other and try to make each other better.”
Rich is in his third year with the Ramblers.
“He’s helped me get used to everything here in Amherst and he’s been a big help.”
Burt says hockey in the MHL isn’t much different than the hockey in the Q.
“It was just a matter of getting used to a new team, a new coach and new systems,” Burt said. “We had a good training camp and a pretty good start to the season, so hopefully we can keep building on that and become one of the better teams in the league.”
Getting used to the laid-back lifestyle of the Maritimes took some time.
"I like the pace of life out here. My grandpa lived out here for a few years, just on the other side of Moncton, so I used to come up and visit him once a year.”
Burt says he loves playing hockey in front of the fans Amherst Stadium.
“We take pride in playing in our home arena, so keep coming out and supporting us and we won’t disappoint.”
