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an hour ago
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2025 NHL Draft: Matthew Schaefer inspired by late mom on road to being No. 1 pick
The New York Islanders selected Matthew Schaefer with the No. 1 pick in Friday's NHL draft in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Images) On the day Matthew Schaefer could have been celebrating his high school graduation, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft had an appointment that was close to his heart. While in Buffalo for the NHL scouting combine earlier this month, the newest New York Islanders defenseman spent the day at the Western New York Compassion Connection. There, Schaefer shared his story with an audience of people between the ages of 7 and 17 who recently lost a loved one — a life experience that he's still grieving through. Advertisement As Schaefer's NHL prospects rose in 2023 while he was playing for the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League, his billet mom, Emily Matson, died by an apparent suicide. Months later, his mother, Jennifer, died following a two-year battle with breast cancer. The following December, Otters owner Jim Waters died unexpectedly of a heart attack. That amount of tragedy in such a short time would be a lot for anyone, let alone a 16-year-old. But Schaefer was inspired by his mother's fight, and he allowed it to push him forward, rather than holding him back in his journey to the NHL. "My mindset has changed a lot with everything. Just seeing what my mom went through, having a smile on her face with cancer kind of trying to bring her down, but she wouldn't let it,' Schaefer told reporters recently. 'She's the strongest person I've ever known.' Helping others through their grief What Schaefer dealt with inspired him to assist other young people who might benefit from hearing from someone with a shared experience. Advertisement 'There's young kids that are going through tough times,' Schaefer said. 'A lot of people love to keep it in, and I want to try to put their minds at ease in any way. If love could have saved them, they would have lived forever. That's a good saying I go by. But everything happens for a reason in life. Makes me super strong. And I want to help people.' A lot goes into developing a professional hockey player, and Jennifer played a role beyond mother as Schaefer went about bettering himself away from the rink. It wasn't odd to see her throw on the goalie pads and take shots from Schaefer and his brother, John. Advertisement While Jennifer is no longer here, she's not far from Schaefer's mind when he's shooting pucks in his basement. She's there in spirit, he says, still trying to save her youngest son's shots. When he misses the net, Schaefer says he credits his mom 'because she's probably blocker saving [them].' Jennifer was also with Schaefer at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Friday, when he heard his name called first by the Islanders. Inside his custom suit jacket were family pictures featuring his mom. Matthew Schaefer shows off pictures of his mother, Jennifer, inside his suit jacket ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft in Los Angeles. Jennifer Schaefer died following a battle with breast cancer. (Photo by) (Bruce Bennett via Getty Images) More obstacles on his way to becoming a top prospect Schaefer's draft year saw more challenges that he needed to overcome. He missed the Otters' first nine games of the season after battling mononucleosis, and in December, he suffered a season-ending clavicle fracture while representing Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship. Advertisement Despite playing only 17 games with Erie this past season, Schaefer scored seven goals and recorded 22 points. He had already played his way into being one of the 2025 NHL Draft's top prospects after a six-point performance in August while helping lead Canada to a win at the U-18 Hlinka/Gretzky Cup. Schaefer's play, while in a limited sample, was enough to convince scouts and those around the NHL that he could become an impact player at the next level. 'He is the complete package playing a dynamic style that generates results and influences the outcome of games,' said Dan Marr, vice president of NHL central scouting. 'Schaefer easily projects as a future All-Star in the NHL.' Advertisement "He is consistent, mature, and has all of the tools to be a No. 1 defenseman in the NHL,' Chris Peters of FloHockey writes. 'His skating is among the best in the class, and his hockey sense is right up there, too. Schaefer has been through a lot in his young life, but has met his challenges with grace well beyond his years. As a pick, he is not without risk, but there's so much upside that teams have mostly dismissed the long absence and still view him as a potential long-term No. 1 defenseman at the top of his projection." Schaefer will turn 18 in September and, weeks later, will enter his first NHL training camp. He will be prepared for his next challenge — making the Islanders — and he will be inspired by his mom, who supported him on his road to a budding professional career. "She's always with me in spirit,' Schaefer said. 'I know she has a front-row seat every game. I get to play for someone even more. She was a strong woman. I like to talk about her. If she was here, you guys would know exactly who she was, even though you haven't met her, because I love talking about her."
Yahoo
18 hours ago
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Watch Matthew Schaefer's moving reaction after being selected first in 2025 NHL Draft
Matthew Schaefer is officially the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. The 17-year-old star was selected by the New York Islanders on June 27 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, despite missing half of last season due to a broken clavicle. Advertisement As Schaefer put on his Islanders uniform with the No. 25 on stage, he got emotional, kissing the jersey where a pink ribbon was placed, and pointing to the sky. Schaefer was likely paying homage to his mother, Jennifer, who died during the 2023-24 season. 2025 NHL Draft live updates: Matthew Schaefer goes first, picks, order Watch: Matthew Schaefer emotional after Islanders make him top pick Schaefer was wearing a jacket with his mother's picture inside when he arrived at the draft in Los Angeles. His mother, Jennifer, died following a two-year battle with breast cancer during the 2023-24 season. His billet mother, Emily Matson, and Erie Otters owner Jim Waters also died that same season. Schaefer played his junior hockey with Erie. Advertisement "Thank you guys, I appreciate you taking a chance on me," Schaefer said to the Islanders' decision makers following the selection on stage. "I promise I won't disappoint, but especially want to say to my mom and the rest of my family and friends, 'thanks for everything.'" The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Matthew Schaefer NHL draft reaction: Islanders' top pick emotional
Reuters
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Islanders select Matthew Schaefer No. 1 at 2025 NHL Draft
June 28 - The New York Islanders selected defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the first overall pick at the 2025 NHL Draft on Friday afternoon in Los Angeles. Schaefer, who will turn 18 on Sept. 5, played for the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League the past two seasons. The 6-foot-2, 183-pound Hamilton, Ontario native was limited to 17 games with Erie last season after missing the first nine with mononucleosis and then breaking his right clavicle on Dec. 27 while playing for Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championships. Schaefer was the second-youngest player on Canada's World Junior roster, two months older than forward Gavin McKenna, who isn't eligible until the 2026 NHL Draft. The day before he was injured, Schaefer scored an empty-net goal and had an assist in Canada's 4-0 victory against Finland in the tournament opener. Schaefer lost his mother, Jennifer, to breast cancer in February 2024, two months after his billet mother, Emily Matson, died in an apparent suicide. Despite having the 10th-best chance of winning the draft lottery at 3.5 percent, the Islanders landed the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft last month, the first time since drafting John Tavares No. 1 overall in 2009. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was slated to announce the first-round picks for the first time since he took over the position in 1993. This year also marked the first time team staffs did not attend the draft, but rather participated from their home cities. "The clubs asked for this," Bettman said in February. "I wasn't looking for any more exposure. I have more than enough. But this is what the clubs told us they wanted, and we're going to try it. And we'll see after this year whether or not everybody likes it better." --Field Level Media
Yahoo
19 hours ago
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2025 NHL Draft: Matthew Schaefer inspired by late mom on road to being No. 1 pick
The New York Islanders selected Matthew Schaefer with the No. 1 overall pick in Friday's NHL draft in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Images) On the day that Matthew Schaefer could have been celebrating his high school graduation, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft had an appointment that was close to his heart. While in Buffalo for the NHL Scouting Combine earlier this month, the newest New York Islanders defenseman spent the day at the Western New York Compassion Connection. There, Schaefer shared his story with an audience of young people between the ages of 7 and 17 who recently lost a loved one — a life experience that he's still grieving through. Advertisement As Schaefer's NHL prospects rose in 2023 while playing for the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League, his billet mom, Emily Matson, died by an apparent suicide. Months later, his mother, Jennifer, passed away following a two-year battle with breast cancer. The following December, Otters owner Jim Waters died unexpectedly of a heart attack. That amount of tragedy in such a short period of time is a lot for anyone, let alone a 16-year-old. But Schaefer was inspired by his mother's fight and allowed it to push him forward rather than hold him back in his journey to the NHL. "My mindset has changed a lot with everything. Just seeing what my mom went through, having a smile on her face with cancer kind of trying to bring her down, but she wouldn't let it,' Schaefer told reporters recently. 'She's the strongest person I've ever known.' Helping others through their own grief What Schaefer dealt with inspired him to want to assist other young people who might benefit from hearing from someone with a shared experience. Advertisement 'There's young kids that are going through tough times,' Schaefer said. 'A lot of people love to keep it in, and I want to try to put their minds at ease in any way. If love could have saved them, they would have lived forever. That's a good saying I go by. But everything happens for a reason in life. Makes me super strong. And I want to help people.' There is a lot that goes into developing a professional hockey player, and Jennifer played a role beyond mother as Schaefer went about bettering himself away from the rink. It wasn't odd to see her throw on the goalie pads and take shots from Schaefer and his brother, John. Advertisement While Jennifer may no longer be here, she's not far from Schaefer's mind when he's shooting pucks in his basement. She's there in spirit, he says, still trying to save her youngest son's shots. When he misses the net, Schaefer says he credits his mom 'because she's probably blocker saving [them].' Jennifer was still with Schaefer at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Friday night when he heard his name called first by the Islanders. Inside his custom suit jacket were family pictures of his mom. Matthew Schaefer shows off pictures of his mother, Jennifer, inside his suit jacket ahead of the 2025 NHL draft in Los Angeles. Jennifer Schaefer passed away following a battle with breast cancer. (Photo by) (Bruce Bennett via Getty Images) More obstacles on his way to becoming a top prospect Schaefer's draft year saw more challenges that he needed to overcome. He missed the Otters' first nine games of the season after battling mononucleosis, and in December, he suffered a season-ending clavicle fracture while representing Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship. Advertisement Despite only playing 17 games with Erie this past season, Schaefer scored seven goals and recorded 22 points. He had already played his way into being one of the 2025 NHL Draft's top prospects after a six-point performance last August while helping lead Canada to a win at the U-18 Hlinka/Gretzky Cup. Schaefer's play, while a limited sample size, was enough to convince scouts and those around the NHL that he could become an impact player at the next level. 'He is the complete package playing a dynamic style that generates results and influences the outcome of games,' said Dan Marr, Vice President of NHL Central Scouting. 'Schaefer easily projects as a future All-Star in the NHL.' Advertisement "He is consistent, mature, and has all of the tools to be a No. 1 defenseman in the NHL,' writes Chris Peters of FloHockey. 'His skating is among the best in the class and his hockey sense is right up there, too. Schaefer has been through a lot in his young life, but has met his challenges with grace well beyond his years. As a pick, he is not without risk, but there's so much upside that teams have mostly dismissed the long absence and still view him as a potential long-term No. 1 defenseman at the top of his projection." Schaefer will turn 18 in September and, weeks later, will enter his first NHL training camp. He will be prepared for his next challenge — making the Islanders — and he will be inspired by his mom, who may no longer be here, but supported him on his road to a budding professional career. "She's always with me in spirit,' Schaefer said. 'I know she has a front-row seat every game. I get to play for someone even more. She was a strong woman. I like to talk about her. If she was here, you guys would know exactly who she was even though you haven't met her because I love talking about her."
