{"id":364763,"date":"2025-12-22T15:33:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T15:33:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/364763\/"},"modified":"2025-12-22T15:33:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T15:33:07","slug":"schaefer-signs-on-as-hockey-fights-cancer-champion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/364763\/","title":{"rendered":"Schaefer signs on as Hockey Fights Cancer champion"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editors note: This story originally appeared on the NHLPA.com<\/a> the official website of the NHL Players\u2019 Association:<\/p>\n

It isn\u2019t only on the ice where Matthew Schaefer has quickly become a difference maker.<\/p>\n

Less than halfway into his rookie NHL season, 18-year-old the New York Islanders defenseman has already garnered widespread attention for his stellar, record-setting play \u2013 including surpassing Sidney Crosby<\/a> as the youngest player (18 years, 70 days) in NHL history to score an overtime goal in the regular season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be someone who is a good teammate and can be counted on to play at a high level every night,\u201d Schaefer told NHLPA.com at the annual NHLPA Rookie Showcase in September. \u201cI want to help make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

That approach has carried over into an impactful presence beyond the rink, as found in his commitment to supporting cancer-focused charities and fundraisers, both locally and on a larger scale, including a recent campaign with Kruger Products Inc. Cashmere Collection that helps raise funds for breast cancer research.<\/p>\n

Schaefer has become an official Hockey Fights Cancer champion, serving as an ambassador to the joint initiative of the NHLPA and NHL, powered by the V Foundation for Cancer Research. His ambassadorship will allow the rookie to further spread awareness and meaningful action all while inspiring others to unite in the fight against cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they told me of the opportunity, I jumped right on it,\u201d said the Hamilton, Ontario, native who became the youngest NHL player ever to record a point in four consecutive games to start his career.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love helping people and I enjoy being part of something where you can use your voice and show people that they are not alone in whatever they are going through.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is a disease that has impacted him on a deeply personal level.<\/p>\n

Schaefer, the No. 1 overall pick at the 2025 NHL Draft, lost his mother, Jennifer, to breast cancer in 2024.<\/p>\n

Schaefer paid tribute to her at the 2025 NHL Draft with a custom suit jacket that featured Jennifer\u2019s photo and signature stitched into the lining. When his name was called, the Islanders handed Schaefer a team jersey adorned with a lavender Hockey Fights Cancer ribbon sewn on the left chest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Editors note: This story originally appeared on the NHLPA.com the official website of the NHL Players\u2019 Association: It…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":364764,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[556],"tags":[64,63,575,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-364763","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-nhl","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364763","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=364763"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364763\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/364764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=364763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=364763"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=364763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}