Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - Matthew Schaefer is looking to become the first defenseman taken first overall in the NHL Draft since the Buffalo Sabres selected Owen Power in 2021. Before that, it was Buffalo taking Rasmus Dahlin with the first pick back in the 2018 NHL Draft.
The last defenseman not taken by the Sabres first overall was Aaron Ekblad, who was selected by the Florida Panthers in 2014, one pick ahead of the Sabres grabbing forward Sam Reinhart.
Schaefer, who is in Buffalo this week for the NHL Scouting Combine, was injured playing for Team Canada at the World Junior Championship this past December, suffering a broken clavicle that ended his season. Despite only playing 17 games for the Erie Otters in the Ontario Hockey League before the injury, Schaefer is the player many think will be the first overall pick of the New York Islanders come June 27.
The 17-year-old feels he has shown enough over his brief 17 games this season to earn the first overall selection of the Islanders.
"There’s a lot of great players in the draft class. 'Mis' [Michael Misa] is a great one, but I think a lot of people know I only played 17 games. So why are you at the top of that list? I think I played in those 17 games and I took it as opportunities, and I worked as hard as I could and left it all out there. But I think I really showed what I was capable of in those 17 games," said Schaefer on Friday.
Schaefer was able to rehab his injury back in Erie with his teammates, and he’s glad he did.
"Lots of [physical training], trying to get back as soon as I could, but I wasn’t able to help my team on the ice. So I tried to help them as much as I could off the ice, whether it was lineup reads, patting them on the back. I was a big fan of the team, and I was happy I was able to travel with the team and do anything I could to help them," Schaefer said.
Schaefer has mourned the death of his mother about a year-and-a-half ago, his billet mother and the owner of the Otters, Jim Waters, who passed away in December.
"I’ve been through a lot. Lost my billet mom, lost my mom and lost Jim Waters, all people that were really a part of my life," Schaefer acknowledges.
"My first year I got drafted to Erie, they made it super special for me. Meeting Jim and Sheila Waters, they welcomed me in right away, and my parents felt really good leaving me two-and-a-half hours away from home (Stoney Creek, Ontario). They made it a lot easier of a transition for me. I miss Jim a lot, but I know he’s looking down on me."
The Islanders and San Jose Sharks have this year’s top-two picks, and that’s why both teams took Schaefer out to dinner this week, in addition to having 1-on-1 interviews. Schaefer says it’s a process he likes.
"I’m a talker. I love all these interviews, and it keeps me busy. I love meeting new people," he said.
"I went out to dinner with the Islanders on Monday and San Jose on Wednesday. Two great organizations, super easy, got to know them over the week, so it was a good conversation. And you’ve just got to be yourself."
The players had their physical testing on Saturday, and Schaefer said he wouldn’t be doing bench presses or pull-ups because he hasn’t been doing that. Schaefer does feel he’s fully healed from his injury suffered in December.