ELMONT, NY — On the heels of trading away their former franchise defenseman, the New York Islanders have their new crown jewel on the blue line, drafting Matthew Schaefer with the No. 1 overall pick at the 2025 NHL Draft on Friday night in Los Angeles.
Schaefer, 17, emerged as the consensus top prospect despite breaking his clavicle in December. With the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League, he recorded 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in just 17 games before suffering his injury.
He is the first Otters player to go No. 1 overall since the transcendental Connor McDavid went first in 2015 to the Edmonton Oilers.
All the while, he shot up draft boards while dealing with unimaginable loss. In the last 16 months, he has lost his mother, his billet (host) mother, and his mentor.
“There are a lot of good players tonight, but Matthew the hockey player is outstanding and Matthew the human is just as outstanding as the hockey player,” Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche said. “We can’t wait to see him.”
Matthew Schaefer, a New York Islander.#Isles pic.twitter.com/W7glHgAKhM
— Joe Pantorno (@JoePantorno) June 27, 2025
Sewn into the collar of Schaefer’s draft-night uniform was his mother’s initial with a Hockey Fights Cancer ribbon emblazoned on the chest.
“It’s pretty cool. This is a high-class organization,” Schaefer said. “To do that for me, it goes a long way. A lot of people could say, ‘Oh, it’s just a ribbon,’ but it means a lot for me. My mom’s a big part of my life, and this jersey is going to get hung up for sure.”
A two-way defenseman with a superb offensive game and enough physicality to be the mainstay No. 1 blue liner for years to come, the left-handed prospect also immediately becomes a candidate to quarterback the Islanders’ inconsistent power play.
“I’m a two-way defenseman. I’m really competitive,” Schaefer said of his game. “Love winning, hate losing. Really good hockey IQ and really good skating ability. I like to play in all three zones and just be a defenseman that can play anywhere, PP, PK, go on with the minute left to gain the lead, or go on with a minute left to protect the lead. I want to be an all-around player.”
He has even gone as far as to say he fashions his game after Colorado Avalanche superstar Cale Makar and Dallas Stars stalwart Miro Haiskanen.
Big shoes to fill, especially considering that his selection was the second big move of the Islanders’ draft day. They traded Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens for the Nos. 16 and 17 picks, along with 23-year-old left-winger Emil Heineman.
With those picks, they took Swedish winger Victor Eklund and Canadian defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson.
Eklund scored 19 goals with 12 assists last year for Djurgardens, while Aitcheson — a physical defenseman to add some sandpaper alongside Schaefer — set a Barrie Colts (OHL) franchise record for goals by a blue liner with 26.
