June 27 is a day New York Islanders’ fans won’t soon forget.
The suspense is over. Less than one week ago at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, Islanders rookie general manager Mathieu Darche gave his stamp of approval to the club’s selecting defenseman Matthew Schaefer with its first overall pick in the National Hockey League Entry Draft. It was back in May that the Islanders won the draft lottery, positioning themselves to pick from a horde of talented amateurs across North America.
When it came time for the Islanders to make their selection before a live ESPN audience, the consensus within the organization was Schaefer. Although Darche hasn’t commented on the quality of the recent draft picks and who is available on the free-agent market that began July 1, the team sure needs at least a sprucing up after finishing sixth in the Metropolitan Division last season.
The Schaefer era started this week. All the draft picks have reported to the team’s training facility in East Meadow, N.Y. The Islanders development camp, under the guidance of their American Hockey League affiliate Bridgeport (Conn.) coach Rocky Thompson, began on Monday.
On Wednesday, the rookies will meet in the Blue and White scrimmage. Islanders staff and fans will get their first look of Schaefer in real-time game competition. Two teams of 18 skaters and goalies will be doing their best to make a good first impression on the coaching staff.
But most cameras and eyeballs will be focusing on each shift Schaefer takes, and his making the leap to the NHL come October is not out of the question.
Performances on the ice this week and when training camp opens in September will determine Schaefer’s fate. The kid from Stoney Creek, Ontario, is in the driver’s seat.
The Islanders are signaling that Schaefer, who turns 18 in September, could make the opening season roster. There are six preseason games scheduled, with the first being at home against the Philadelphia Flyers on Sept. 21.
Scouting reports have consistently said Schaefer is far more mature than his age would suggest. In February 2024, his mother, Jennifer Schaefer, died after a battle with breast cancer. Months earlier, Schaefer’s billet mother in Pennsylvania, Emily Matson, was killed in a train accident.
After Schaefer skated for the Erie, Pennsylvania, Otters of the Ontario Hockey League in 73 games over parts of two seasons, he squeezed in a few appearances with Team Canada at the 2025 World Junior Championships in Ottawa. During his second game for Team Canada, an unexpected 3–2 loss to Latvia, Schaefer broke his collarbone.
Schaefer’s ability to stay focused and keep personal injury and tragedy separate is nothing less than remarkable. This is what leads many to believe that even at his young age, come the start of the NHL season, Schaefer could be on coach Patrick Roy’s roster.
There are plenty of veteran Islanders who could easily slide into the role of “big brother” to Schaefer. Mat Barzal, a former No. 1 draft pick by the Islanders now entering his 10th season with the team, could be a candidate. Casey Cizikas, with the Islanders for 11 seasons, is another outstanding skater who could take Schaefer under his wing. When the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby was the overall top draft pick in 2005, also a teenager like Schaefer, he lived with teammate Mario Lemieux. Crosby’s career has blossomed for 20 seasons, and no doubt the guidance from Lemieux was a positive influence.
The Islanders’ 53rd NHL season promises upgrades on both sides of the blue lines. Rebuilding a pipeline of future stars at affiliates Bridgeport and the Worcester (Mass.) Railers of the East Coast Hockey League is a priority for Darche. Along with Schaefer, the Islanders’ second-round selection, Daniil Prokhorov, will no doubt be a priority for Thompson and his fellow coaches during development camp. The 6-foot-6 Russian wing, just 18, needs to work on his skill level but offers so much potential in the coming seasons.
The future for Schaefer and the Islanders in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division is now. Garnering an uptick in season ticket memberships in the game’s top media market is a must. Carefully handling Schaefer’s career comes at all costs. By the end of the week, the Islanders’ “wunderkind” will be able to exhale and will have passed his entrance test to life in the NHL.
