Schaefer suits up for Islanders for 1st time in front of sold-out crowd

EAST MEADOW, NY -- Wednesday was a monumental night for defenseman Matthew Schaefer, who was selected by the New York Islanders with the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

Not only was it his first chance to play in front of the Islanders’ faithful in the 2025 Blue and White Scrimmage at a sold-out Northwell Ice Center, but it was his first game since he broke his collarbone on Dec. 27, 2024, playing for Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championships, which put an end to his season with Erie of the Ontario Hockey League.

“The fans are amazing. That's probably the one thing,” Schaefer said. “They come out to support. I mean, just seeing this game, I can't even imagine how good a home game is, right? So, yeah, it was amazing to get my feet wet. I think the last game I played was December 30, in that range. So, I've been dying to get back out there and play a game.”

During the player announcements, Schaefer received a standing ovation, which left him at a loss for words.

“That was amazing. If my dad and brother were here, they would have been like, ‘Wow’. This is almost home, you know what I mean?” Schaefer said with a huge smile on his face. “You never know what to expect. I've never been here on the island, so just to come here and see what it's like, the fans are amazing. Like, it's crazy to see how much the fans come behind you, and it plays a big part in the game and the team. You're not going to win games just with the team. The fans also have a big impact when they're cheering you on, helping you and motivating you. So, yeah, it's pretty cool.”

Schaefer had to shake off some rust early in the scrimmage, but by the end of the night, he said he felt a lot more comfortable.

“My cardio, I probably [need to] work on it a little bit there,” Schaefer said. “I’m a little tired. Lots of skating. But you just got to go out there and work your hardest. I want to go out there and keep progressing each day. I think [the scrimmage] was a good step in the right direction. Even day by day, you know, Monday, I made a step. On Tuesday, I made a step. So, I just [need to] keep going in that direction. But [the scrimmage] was amazing. We have one more day left, and it was just a great week.”

Islanders coach Patrick Roy had nothing but praise for the 17-year-old.

"We're going to give him all the opportunity and support him," Roy said Thursday. "But the thing that I really love about him is how humble and grateful he is. I do believe that he's going to be very successful. He's very intelligent, very mature. We already had dinner with him, and I was very impressed with him. I mean, obviously, I don't like to bring the past back, but for what he went through, I mean, it's impressive how well he handled all that, which probably helps you to mature faster than normal.

"But I'm very impressed with him. Everybody saw his skills. He's a phenomenal skater. I made a joke with him, but I said the best play last night was when he backchecked, and he finished (puck ended up banking off him and into) the back of the net and he was laughing. ... You could tell that he cares ... they were down, like, what, 2 or 3-0 and he was still pushing and trying to get that goal and on and on. So I really like this kid a lot."

Schaefer, skating for Team Blue, showcased his skating ability and creative hands throughout the game, particularly demonstrating tremendous accuracy and vision with his break-out passes.

"I think the roof would go up if he would have scored on one of the plays," Roy said. "So it's nice for our fans."

Unfortunately for Schaefer, Team White came away victorious, winning 4-0 after two 20-minute halves before a shootout for the fans.

Lucas Romano (2025, No. 74) deflected a Kashawn Aitcheson (2025, No. 17) point shot to give Team White a 1-0 lead at 6:52 of the first period.

Quinn Finley (2022, No. 78) extended Team White's lead to 2-0 at 8:39 of the first after he finished off a low slot pass from Daniil Prokhorov (2025, No.42).

Long Island native and development camp invitee Brandon Chabrier gave Team White a 3-0 lead at 11:42 of the second after he tucked the puck past goaltender Danick Leroux on a breakaway.

Calle Odelius scored an empty-net goal as time expired for the 4-0 final.

The final day of development camp will take place Thursday before Schaefer returns home to Toronto, where he’ll continue to train under the tutelage of former NHL defenseman Mark Giordano, along with Islanders defensemen Adam Pelech and Isaiah George.