Noah Dobson said that Halifax is “not too far” from his hometown, which is a slight understatement.

It’s about a three-hour drive to get from Summerside, Prince Edward Island, where Dobson grew up, to Nova Scotia’s capital.

But when driving to skate with Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon, it probably feels like a shorter trip.

“I’ll go over there a little bit,” Dobson told The Post after the Islanders opened training camp Thursday. “It’s nice to get on with those guys. Obviously Crosby and MacKinnon, those are two of the highest-end [players] and top of the league, so to see their work ethic and how they’re always trying to get better is really eye-opening. Really puts things in perspective for you.”

The offseason run, which also includes Brad Marchand, Drake Batherson and Morgan and Justin Barron, is invitation-only, but it wasn’t the first summer Dobson has been involved.

It’s a good way to ramp up the intensity before training camp, he said, and he usually makes the trip at some point in August.

“They still, in their minds, feel like they can get better in areas,” Dobson said of Crosby and MacKinnon, two of the best players of their generation. “I think that’s all it needs to say. … I’ve been able to have back-to-back decent seasons offensively, production-wise, but I still feel like I have another gear offensively.”

The past few months marked a pivotal moment for Dobson, who caught some criticism for his play toward the end of last season.

General manager Lou Lamoriello stood up for the young defenseman at his end-of-season press conference, but there was a shift — at least in perception — in which Dobson went from a breakout player to someone who needed to do more.

In reality, parsing Dobson’s 2022-23 campaign requires some nuance.

His playing time took a small decrease, his even-strength scoring improved, his power-play production dropped off and shortcomings in his defensive game were exposed more regularly.

He scored nearly as many points (49) as the season prior (51), but mistakes that could have been brushed off earlier stuck out more.

Whether that’s stagnation or expectations around him rising probably depend on point of view.

Regardless, it wasn’t quite a step back.

But it’s hard to call it an improvement.

That is not a reason to doubt the 23-year-old now, though.

Development is a complicated thing, and he has yet to play 250 NHL games.

“It’s sort of that little, last part that is the hardest to get to,” coach Lane Lambert said. “It’s no different than a five-handicap golfer getting down to scratch. There’s not much room for error.”

Lambert concurred that Dobson still has room for growth offensively, which is generally agreed to be the better part of his game already.

But it will come in small, subtle areas.

“Whether it be deception — things like that — deception on the power play, walking across the [blue] line and then continue with his mentality to jump into the play,” Lambert said. “We have to activate our defense. I agree with him, there’s more to be had.”

Dobson said he understands, too, that even while Lamoriello defended him publicly, there are high expectations for his future on Long Island.

He wants to take the next steps, and feels he’s capable.

“Obviously I got a lot of respect for Lou, it’s nice when he has your back like that,” Dobson said. “We’ve had great talks. I’ve got a great relationship with him. But the main thing for me is just focusing on my game.

“I know the player I am on the team, where that comes with expectations and pressure. And at the end of the day, I gotta deliver in areas. That’s just my main focus. I know I can really help this team and be a certain player for them. It’s just my job to go out there and do it.”