EAST MEADOW, N.Y. — Matthew Schaefer took the ice as a member of the New York Islanders for the first time Monday, his sights clearly set on doing the same opening night.
“The draft is good and fun, but now [I have to] put the workboots on,” said Schaefer, the No. 1 pick by the Islanders in the 2025 NHL Draft. “You want to play in the NHL, and you want to play as long as you can. So, for me, it’s just about getting my body ready, working out as hard as I can, playing with NHL guys all summer.
“They’re going to push me. Being in that environment has been super big, and I want to be on that opening night roster.”
The past few days have been a whirlwind for the 17-year-old defenseman. On Friday, he was in Los Angeles for the draft; on Sunday, he was on the set of “Good Morning America” in New York, took the ice for the first day of Islanders development camp Monday at their practice facility.
He even found time to sign autographs for fans who came to see him skate in person.
“It was amazing. It’s a dream come true,” Schaefer said. “Getting drafted first overall was a huge honor. But you put that in the past. You can always think about it, but when you’re at camp and you’re at hockey, you put that behind you. You work as hard as you can, and you put your head down. Nothing’s given. The real work starts now.
“It’s exciting times to get on the ice and meet new people. The staff here is amazing; they do so much for us, from equipment guys to head coaches and stuff. When we’re on the ice, they’re giving us lots of feedback, which is what I wanted. I’m working on my defensive zone game, walking the (blue) line. There are all these little things that they tell you, and that’s the feedback I want, because I want to get better each and every day.”
Playing for Canada at the 2025 World Junior Championship, Schaefer broke his collarbone on Dec. 27, 2024, which put an end to his season with Erie of the Ontario Hockey League.
That meant Monday marked the first time outside of summer training that he took part in a team practice.
