Three weeks in since bringing in Matthew Schaefer in the 2025 NHL Draft, it seems that the Islanders are bringing in the rookie for more immersion with the rest of the team as they plan ahead for the 2025-26 season, which seems to be a crucial launching point for the defenseman as he seeks to prove his worth on the big stage.

At the age of 17, there are high expectations from the Erie product of the Ontario Hockey League. His season was cut short as he had surgery last December 30th, after he broke his clavicle while representing Canada in the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa. So far, Schaefer is shifting his focus well in the big league, and his progress has been quite satisfactory, which says a lot about his time in delivering for the team in the long run.

At this point, Schaefer is making up for lost time, but now he is set to bring that same progress en route to the bigger games of the NHL, which is definitely going to be a huge boost to their chances of winning. After all, it is a worthy note for a comeback, considering that they haven’t made any progress since losing in the semis in 2021.

Focusing on the Basics

Since he was drafted, Schaefer has already made progress in talking with some prominent players in the squad – such as captain Anders Lee, forwards Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal. So far, he has received overwhelming support from both players and the rest of the fanbase from Long Island.

“The fans have been amazing,” Schaefer said. “Every time we had a practice or game at development camp, the fans were always there and packing the barn, so to see how passionate and supportive they are in the middle of the summer, it’s awesome.”

For now, Schaefer is hitting the gym – working to get bigger, stronger, and faster. That is one of the main focuses for the rookie as he is going to play against older, experienced players in the NHL, and he definitely wants to be ready for that.

In fact, he even spent some time in the Islanders development camp late in June, with the team specifically saying that it is important for his game to evolve as early as possible so that he would gain traction in his time in the NHL. That also builds up his confidence en route to building momentum for the season.

The Next Step

Schaefer is eager to take instruction from Islanders head coach Patrick Roy when the Islanders kick off its campaign this October 9th in a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The rookie defenseman obviously looks up to the coach as a mentor of sorts, and that is a good thing to look out for at this point.

“I just can’t wait,” Schaefer said. “I want to be on that opening night roster, so there is still a lot of work to be put in this summer, but I can’t wait to get ready at camp. The draft is over, I don’t have to worry about that. Now I can just worry about getting in the gym and on the ice.”

The Islanders finished with a 35-35-12 record last season, and did not make it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This is the second time in five years that they did not qualify for the postseason, while all the other three seasons have ended up in losses.