Brayden Schenn had seen the highlights. <\/p>\n
The veteran centre knew all about a peach-fuzzed New York Islanders defenceman making waves in a jaw-dropping rookie season \u2014 from afar. <\/p>\n
Acquired by the club ahead of the NHL trade deadline, Schenn now gets a front-row seat. <\/p>\n
Matthew Schaefer, a happy-go-lucky teenager with a wide smile and engaging personality, has burst on the scene with an effortless skating stride, bullet shot and elite feel for the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cComes as advertised,\u201d Schenn, added from the St. Louis Blues on March 6, said of the 18-year-old phenom. \u201cVery skilled, very motivated to be the best he can be. He\u2019s a special person. He really cares about the people in this locker room.\u201d<\/p>\n
And the organization counts itself fortunate to have him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t want to think about that,\u201d Islanders head coach Patrick Roy replied when asked if he\u2019s contemplated life without Schaefer. \u201cHe has helped our team tremendously \u2026 a lot of times we say, \u2018Oh, defencemen take a little more time to develop.\u2019 He\u2019s been handling those situations really well.\u201d <\/p>\n
The runaway Calder Trophy favourite as rookie of the year, Schaefer will also likely get Norris Trophy (top blueliner) and Hart Trophy (MVP) votes for a campaign that has seen the No. 1 pick at the 2025 draft register 49 points (20 goals, 29 assists) across 68 games while leading New York with an average of more than 24 minutes per contest.<\/p>\n
\u201cFocus on what we\u2019ve got going in this room,\u201d he said of his approach. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about me, it\u2019s about we. We have a great team. These guys have helped me so much. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a perfectionist and I want to be perfect. But no one\u2019s ever perfect.\u201d <\/p>\n
Schaefer, who lost his mother, Jennifer, to cancer in 2024 and broke down in tears on an emotional draft night, has been pretty close to perfect as a freshman. The Islanders also didn\u2019t know what they had, at least for this season, when training camp opened. <\/p>\n
On pace to shatter the franchise record for points (56) by a rookie defenceman, the Hamilton product played just 17 games in 2024-25 with the Ontario Hockey League\u2019s Erie Otters and suited up two more times at the world junior hockey championship before breaking his collarbone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe knew the talent he has and the type of person,\u201d said Roy, whose team sat third in the Metropolitan Division with a 39-24-5 record entering Wednesday\u2019s action. \u201cCeiling was pretty high.\u201d <\/p>\n
Along with outstanding puck play, Schaefer has quickly learned the defensive side at the sport\u2019s top level alongside blue-line partner Ryan Pulock, who\u2019s almost 13 years his senior.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s gapping so well, he\u2019s got a great stick,\u201d Roy said. \u201cWe knew he had the offensive skills, but the way he\u2019s been defending, it\u2019s pretty impressive.\u201d <\/p>\n
There was a similar feeling down the hall at Scotiabank Arena this week.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoing things only a handful of players have done,\u201d said Toronto Maple Leafs centre John Tavares, who debuted in the league as a teenager after being selected first overall by New York in 2009. \u201cHe\u2019s not just a franchise player \u2026 he\u2019s certainly put himself in the conversation as a generational-type of talent. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been remarkable.\u201d <\/p>\n
The same goes for off the ice.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot fake at all,\u201d Schenn said of Schaefer\u2019s demeanour and treatment of others. \u201cSincere with how he handles himself. You can really tell why his teammates love him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schaefer said along with handling arduous travel and learning about preparation, another big adjustment has been tweaking his approach against bigger, stronger, faster opponents.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to know who\u2019s on the ice,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd definitely have your head up, because guys are coming for you all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schaefer, meanwhile, is only getting his engine started.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis progression, his timeline,\u201d Schenn said. \u201cThe Islanders organization and fan base have every right to be excited.\u201d <\/p>\n
RUSSIAN CHATTER<\/p>\n
With the NHL and NHL Players\u2019 Association announcing Calgary, Edmonton and Prague as hosts for the 2028 World Cup, talk of Russia\u2019s inclusion once again came to the forefront.<\/p>\n
That country\u2019s war in Ukraine has meant a ban from all International Ice Hockey Federation events, including last month\u2019s Milan Cortina Olympics.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters this week at the general managers meetings in Manalapan, Fla., commissioner Gary Bettman left the door open for Russia to be part of the event in two years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to see how things develop,\u201d he said Monday in reference to global politics. \u201cTime will tell.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bettman addressed media gathered in Florida again Wednesday alongside deputy commissioner Bill Daly, and denied a report that Sweden, Finland and Czechia had formally notified the league of a boycott should Russia be included.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Those countries) have strong feelings,\u201d Daly said. \u201cThe same strong feelings we\u2019ve expressed and the international hockey community has expressed.\u201d <\/p>\n
Vancouver Canucks forward Teddy Blueger, who suited up for Latvia in Milan, would like to see Russia back.<\/p>\n
\u201cOther countries are involved in wars,\u201d he said Tuesday. \u201cWho\u2019s to decide which one\u2019s justified and which one\u2019s not, and who gets to disqualify who? I think punishing the players for stuff like that \u2026 it\u2019s politics.\u201d <\/p>\n
Maple Leafs winger William Nylander, meanwhile, ducked a question on the reaction in Sweden if Russia was given the green light.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not, like, reading anything,\u201d he also said Tuesday. \u201cI don\u2019t have (a) clue. Ask somebody else about that.\u201d<\/p>\n
-With files from Gemma Karstens-Smith in Vancouver.<\/p>\n
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 18, 2026.<\/p>\n
Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Brayden Schenn had seen the highlights. The veteran centre knew all about a peach-fuzzed New York Islanders defenceman…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":545296,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[433],"tags":[49,48,448,82],"class_list":["post-545295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=545295"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545295\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/545296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=545295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=545295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=545295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}