Islanders Rookie Defender Has Tremendous Speed

One New York Islanders rookie defenseman showed off his tremendous foot speed in his NHL debut, which should serve him well for a long time.

Jun 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Matthew Schaefer is selected as the first overall pick to the New York Islanders in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at Peacock Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

One thing is certain about the National Hockey League: if you can't skate, then you may not be able to keep up. For the New York Islanders' 2025 first overall selection, Matthew Schaefer, that is no problem.

In his debut, which was also the Islanders' first preseason game, Schaefer showed off some tremendous foot speed, catching Philadelphia Flyers sophomore stud goal scorer Matvei Michkov, who would have had a clear-cut breakaway with the game on the line in overtime.

Just an absolutely insane defensive backcheck from Matthew Schaefer on Matvei Michkov 😱

In the first overall pick’s first NHL game too 😳

(via @OSulr81) pic.twitter.com/CqRBhSJOdg

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) September 22, 2025

Schaefer is another, in a list of first overall selections, who will have plenty of attention, whether or not he makes the NHL out of camp. Thanks to his poise and elite skills, despite playing just 17 games in his draft year with the OHL's Erie Otters because of a broken collarbone, he remained the consensus first overall selection the entire year.

His 22 points in those 17 games proved that he can control the play and pace of the game from the backend, and he doesn't require a lot of time and space to create. Each draft class, there often emerges a defender who is a few steps ahead of the others, and early signs indicate that Schaefer is exactly that.

Jun 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Matthew Schaefer (left) with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being selected as the first overall pick to the New York Islanders in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at Peacock Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It isn't every day that a franchise trades away a player at the level that Noah Dobson, the organization's former 12th overall selection in the 2018 draft, but that is precisely what they did. You have to think about the fact that they had a player like Schaefer coming up the ranks, with an expected NHL arrival next year, if not this upcoming season, which padded the loss a little bit.

Sure, it was just the first game of the Islanders' preseason schedule, but the player he out-skated was an elite NHL talent, not just a guy playing out the string, with the potential of being sent back to junior or even the minors.

Few defenders in the league are a threat across all three zones at all times, but Schaefer's intelligence, paired with his defensive awareness and strong positioning, make him one of the purest defensive talents to come out of the draft. He can create from the blueline, and his edges make him a load to defend, which, paired with his offensive creativity, makes it easy to leave defenders in the dust.

He plays with a maturity that is beyond his 18 years, and if he continues to impress, it certainly won't be because he can't keep up if he is sent back to the Otters. But rather because the Islanders don't wish to rush his development, instead choosing to be patient with the future of their defense.

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