Islanders Star Rookie Living Up to Hype

Breakaway on SI previously wrote of how the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NHL Draft was making an instant impression on the team's head coach. Now, his own teammates are saying he has the potential to be the best defenseman in the league.

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

For the New York Islanders, the Matthew Schaefer era has arrived.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft is a talented defenseman who recently made an instant mark on the Islanders' training camp. Previously from Erie of the Ontario Hockey League, Schaefer is known for controlling the flow of play from the back end, rushing the puck with poise and bringing a modern style of defense to the ice. Standing at 6’2” and weighing 186 pounds, the 18 year old produced 22 points (7-15-22) in just 17 games, continuing to showcase elite skating, vision, and two-way poise the year before the draft.

It appears that all of these skills have already helped build up his reputation during his first few weeks working with the league.

Throughout camp, Schaefer was partnered on defense with Scott Mayfield; Mayfield is a good Islander to balance out Schaefer, as Mayfield is in his 30s and has been in the league since 2013. He has 125 points on his career so far and has been with the Islanders since he was drafted in 2011.

Mayfield said Schaefer has really impressed him throughout the offseason.

“He handled himself really well,” Mayfield previously said. “You could tell his speed out there. He's got that first step. Transition-wise, he's right up the ice, seems like a really good player. And he handled himself well.”

Clearly, Schaefer may have just arrived to the NHL, but he already has a strong desire to prove himself both now and in the future. Only time will tell just how far that strong desire takes the 18-year-old defenseman. But, this desire is clearly taking him far.

28-year-old Islanders forward Mathew Barzal said that he knows Schaefer has the potential to be one of the best players the league has seen.

"[Schaefer] is going to be one of, if not the best defenseman in the league at some point," Barzal said.

The Matthew Schaefer hype is real. 😤 pic.twitter.com/OOHFO2mrab

— NHL (@NHL) September 22, 2025

Head coach Patrick Roy has also joined in on the hype, saying the budding, young player already impressed him at day one of camp, especially in regards to his desire to learn.

“He’s a quality person. He just wants to learn,” Roy said to NHL.com. “I was very impressed with him today. It was nice for him to be with Mayfield. I think Mayfield will [play] a big brother kind of role for him and will help him out.”

Schaefer signed a a three-year, entry-level contract back in August. The Islanders open their season at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 9, and per NFL rules and regulations Schaefer will have to be returned to Erie should he not see play.

Players drafted from a Canadian Hockey League team additionally cannot play in the American Hockey League until they turn 20. But with what his own teammates and coach are saying, it's fairly safe to think Schaefer will see on-ice action with the Islanders sooner rather than later.

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