Schaefer, like Potvin, skillfully adjusting to NHL as Islanders rookies

Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Fischler, known as "The Hockey Maven," shares his humor and insight with readers each Wednesday. This week focuses on a pair New York Islanders defensemen each chosen with the No. 1 pick in the NHL Draft, Denis Potvin and Matthew Schaefer, and the challenges of their respective debuts 52 years apart.

In each case their buildup was immense. No sooner had the New York Islanders selected defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft the positive adjectives overflowed like rush-hour traffic on the Long Island Expressway.

The same followed Denis Potvin after the defenseman was chosen No. 1 by the Islanders in the 1973 NHL Draft. Typical was an Ottawa Sun headline: "DENIS POTVIN TOUTED AS NEXT BOBBY ORR!"

A good 52 years later finds Schaefer being lauded for his speed, power-play acumen and easy adjustment to the NHL.

"The big thing with me is I love to win," Schaefer said.

The 18-year-old began his NHL career on a six-game point streak (two goals, five assists).

"For an 18-year-old, playing defense isn't easy," Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said before a 4-2 loss to the Islanders at UBS Arena on Oct. 16, "but Matthew is gifted as a smooth skater who can move the puck extremely well. He's got great character and works hard."

From the start of training camp, Schaefer has played with veteran Scott Mayfield. It also has helped that his iron constitution enabled him to overcome twin personal tragedies while he was playing for Erie in the Ontario Hockey League. Emily Matson, his billet mother, died in an apparent suicide Dec. 11, 2023. His mother, Jennifer, died of breast cancer in February 2024.

"Mom didn't want me to sit and cry," Schaefer said, "but she was the one who drove me to games and always was there for me. I play for my mom every day and never will forget what she did for my career."

When Potvin signed with the Islanders for the 1973-74 season, he too needed guidance. His counselor was older brother Jean Potvin, a defenseman acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers on March 4, 1973.

"I wanted Jean for two reasons," Islanders general manager Bill Torrey told me at the time, "First, so that Denis becomes an Islander and doesn't go to the World Hockey Association. And, two, because Johnny would be a terrific mentor for his brother."

Denis wrote in his autobiography, "Power on Ice," that knowing Jean was with him in his rookie season was a huge help.

"I stuck close to him until I got a good feel of the League," he wrote. "By the end of the season, I won the Calder Trophy (voted as best rookie) and knew I had arrived."

It's premature to forecast how Schaefer will emerge in the rookie voting, but this much is certain: His first month in the League has exceeded expectations. He was quarterbacking New York's top power-play unit within three weeks and extended his point streak to six games with a power-play assist and the game-winning goal that defeated the San Jose Sharks 4-3 on Oct. 21.

Greg Prato, author of "Dynasty: The Oral History of the New York Islanders, 1972-1984," sees a similarity between the defensemen then and now.

"Potvin almost singlehandedly changed the course of the Islanders franchise," Prato said. "Watching Schaefer now, I'm getting the same vibe. The second Matthew steps on the ice, there's a feeling that something special can happen."

As a rookie, Potvin helped the Islanders to 56 points, up from 30 in 1972-73, and their first Stanley Cup Playoff berth in 1974-75, when he and Orr were named to the NHL First All-Star Team. With Potvin as captain, the Islanders won the Stanley Cup from 1980-83, and were denied their fifth consecutive NHL championship by a five-game loss to the Oilers in the best-of-7 Stanley Cup Final. He retired in 1988 a five-time First Team All-Star and three-time winner of the Norris Trophy voted as the top defenseman in the NHL, and entered the Hockey Hall of Fame with the Class of 1991.

Potvin's No. 5 became the first to be retired by the Islanders on Feb. 1, 1992. At the time, he was the highest-scoring defenseman in NHL history with 1,052 points (310 goals, 742 assists) in 1,060 regular-season games.

"Compared to Potvin, Schaefer has a long way to go," Prato said. "But based on the small sample we have, it appears that the sky's the limit. And, with luck, the Islanders will have 'another Denis Potvin.'"