Matthew Schaefer’s life has been exciting over the past few days.
The 17-year-old lived out every young hockey player’s dream by getting drafted first overall on Friday. He flew in a private jet – with fellow first-round picks Kashawn Aitcheson and Victor Eklund on Saturday – and was a guest on Good Morning America on Sunday. He’s gotten congratulations from Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat, Anders Lee, Wayne Gretzky and Connor McDavid to name a few.
Despite all of the hullabaloo, perhaps the most exciting thing for Schaefer was just getting to be back on the ice for a hockey practice as New York Islanders Development Camp kicked off.
“You dream of this your whole life, and it's a dream come true and now you have to put the work boots on,” Schaefer said. “Getting drafted is amazing, and first overall is amazing, and it's an honor, but you forget about that now. Everyone's equal, and everyone's out there fighting for a spot, so all you have to do is put your head down, have fun and work as hard as you can.”
For Schaefer, Monday’s practice was his first since suffering a broken collarbone during the World Juniors in December. He had been itching to get back on the ice and was all smiles being back in his element – and make an impression on the coaching staff.
“It's good to just get on the ice finally,” Schaefer said. “You can really get on the ice and show what you're capable of, so it's been exciting, and I can't wait for this week to keep going.”