Islanders praise Matthew Schaefer, and vice versa, ahead of NHL Draft
Matthew Schaefer speaks with the media during the NHL's top prospects media availability on June 26, 2025 in Los Angeles. Credit: Getty Images/Bruce Bennett
LOS ANGELES — Mathieu Darche had nothing to do with the Islanders winning the NHL Draft Lottery despite just a 3.5% chance to do so, as that happened almost three weeks before he was hired as general manager/executive vice president on May 23.
But Darche happily will take advantage of that unexpected good fortune.
The two-day NHL Draft opens on Friday night at the Peacock Theater with the first round, and the Islanders widely are expected to use the No. 1 pick on defenseman Matthew Schaefer, 17, of the junior Ontario Hockey League. It would be the first time the Islanders selected first overall since taking John Tavares in 2009.
“I’ve been very lucky,” said Darche, a first-time NHL GM, before adding about Schaefer, “he’s an impressive young man. And he’s a heck of a player. He’s a great person. But, having said that, there’s a lot of other kids at the draft that we met that are very impressive. That’s why I say, regardless of who we pick on Friday, we’ll get a special player that’s going to help the New York Islanders fairly quickly.”
A trio of centers — Hauppauge’s James Hagens, Swede Anton Frondell and Michael Misa of the OHL — are among the other top prospects.
Whoever the Islanders take, Darche will be counting on him to help usher in a new era for the Islanders.
“He’s going to be a part of building that culture,” Darche said. “We have some strong players so I’m really excited whichever player we’re going to draft on Friday [will] help us move forward.”
Islanders co-owner Jon Ledecky said having the first pick “reignites the excitement we had back in 2009.” The Islanders will host a draft party at UBS Arena on Friday and Ledecky expects the crowd to exceed 10,000.
“For the fan base, it’s ‘Here we go,’ ” Ledecky said. “Islanders fans are incredibly passionate, and this was a very big win for them. The reaction has been positive in all aspects of our business from it. It’s a new beginning for a traditional, wonderful franchise.”
Schaefer already has a tangential relationship with the Islanders as he shares representation with top-line center Bo Horvat and is training this summer in a group that includes defenseman Adam Pelech.
Horvat was one of the many around the hockey world who reached out to Schaefer during his darkest period as he lost his mother, Jennifer Schaefer, to cancer in February 2024, and his billet mother in Erie, Ontario, Emily Matson, to suicide three months earlier.
“I know [the Islanders] have got a great group and they have a great organization,” Schaefer said on Thursday.
“I’ve been to New York once for a concert last summer, it was pretty cool,” said Schaefer, adding he attended a Morgan Wallen show. “I was downtown. I haven’t been to Long Island but I hear it’s all really nice.”
Schaefer met with Darche at the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo in the first week of June.
“It was really cool, he was a great guy,” Schaefer said. “I read a lot of great things about him. I’m really happy he got the GM job. A lot of great stuff coming from the organization.
“I want to get drafted but I also want to be the best player. You really can’t control anything now. You just have to enjoy the process and whatever happens, happens.”
The NHL Central Scouting Bureau ranked the 6-2, 183-pound Schaefer first among North American skaters and he’s considered to have the best skating ability in the draft regardless of position. Schaefer blends those elite skating skills with a strong playmaking ability and high hockey IQ. He transports the puck well and is equally comfortable on the power play and the penalty kill.
Illness and a broken collarbone limited Schaefer to 17 OHL games as he compiled seven goals and 15 assists. But Schaefer said he is fully recovered and will be able to participate in summer development camp. The Islanders, like many teams, open theirs on Monday.
“My first year in the OHL, I was more defensive and I didn’t show my offensive abilities so everybody was questioning it,” said Schaefer, who had three goals and 14 assists in 56 OHL games in 2023-24. “I showed my offensive side this season a lot more. I think that really showed I can play both ways.”
Who’s No. 1?
C Anton Frondell, Djurgarden (Sweden-2), 6-1, 198: NHL Central Scouting Bureau’s top-ranked European skater has an NHL-sized body and perhaps the best shot in the draft.
C Michael Misa, Saginaw (OHL), 6-1, 184: An elite skater with superb on-ice vision and top skill with the puck on his stick who projects as a strong two-way player.
D Matthew Schaefer, Erie (OHL), 6-2, 183: The consensus to be picked No. 1 because of his elite skating and playmaking skills that blend with a strong defensive acumen and a high hockey IQ.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
