Where Should Islanders’ Matthew Schaefer Play In 2025-26?

The New York Islanders signed Matthew Schaefer to a three-year entry-level contract on Aug. 4, becoming the ninth 2025 first-round pick to sign. 

There isn’t a glaring weakness in the 2025 first-overall pick’s game. He’s as confident as you’ll find and thinks the game like a No.1 defenseman should. There’s not a single issue with his character. In fact, anything that has been said about him makes him seem like an increasingly genuine person. 

What Schaefer has endured off the ice is no secret and doesn’t need to be touched upon further, but the mental fortitude to not only bounce back but become a shining light for children going through similar experiences as he has is a testament to his character. 

While understated at times, balancing hockey and the mental side of things is difficult, especially for a rookie, but no player seems more prepared for it than Schaefer. 

Physically, Schaefer could benefit from adding some muscle and weight to his 6-foot-2 frame, but that’s to be expected for someone who won’t turn 18 years old until Sept. 5. 

Schaefer is a smooth skater, capable of starting transitions on his own. Defensively, his skating and stick work force opponents to the outside before he quickly snatches the puck away from them. With a great understanding of positioning and what to do with the puck when it’s on his stick, Schaefer’s game should have no problem translating to the NHL. 

Once he signed his entry-level contract, the possibility of playing a season in the NCAA was abolished, but there are still routes Schaefer can take. 

Schaefer could return to the Erie Otters in the OHL following training camp and pre-season, and become, if not the catalyst, one of the key figures on what’s shaping out to be a strong Canadian roster at the World Junior Championship. 

Schaefer looked outstanding in the 17 OHL games and the one and a half world junior games he played last year, which is why he has been pencilled in as an NHLer. 

If the Hamilton, Ont. native looks comfortable in pre-season but hasn’t necessarily won a job out of camp, the New York Islanders can allow him to play nine games to start the season before burning a year on his ELC. If he isn’t ready, he can return to the Otters for the remainder of the season. 

What currently seems the most likely is that Schaefer starts the season on the Islanders’ third pair, playing behind fellow left-handed defensemen Adam Pelech and Alexander Romanov. As the season goes on and Schaefer continues to adjust to the pro game, his role can grow and his ice time can increase. 

"I mean me, personally, I want to play in the NHL," Schaefer said after throwing out the first pitch at the New York Mets game on Monday night. "Other people would always ask me 'where do you want to go?' But for me, I was so dialled in on wanting to play in the NHL. And when I set goals for myself, I work as hard as I can so I can get to that point.”

The Islanders are in a favorable position where they don’t need to rush Schaefer, and can protect him in difficult matchups until they believe he is ready. 

Each team has different perspectives on what’s best for a young defenseman. Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Miro Heiskanen and Owen Power all spent one or more seasons away from the NHL before beginning their careers. It proved to work out for them as they are among the NHL’s best defenseman. For others, like Rasmus Dahlin, they were thrown into the fire immediately, and although there were hiccups, Dahlin has become one of the premier defensemen in the NHL.

Schaefer looks to be in a great position, and either choice could be very beneficial, which should kick-start a great career.

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