Schaefer 'dialed-in' for NHL debut with Islanders

PITTSBURGH -- Matthew Schaefer had that twinkle in his eye while speaking to reporters at his locker stall knowing he was hours away from making his NHL debut for the New York Islanders against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, MSGSN, TVAS).

For the 18-year-old defenseman, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, it's a moment he's prepared for his whole life.

"You dream of playing in the NHL one day and, I mean, the work doesn't stop here," Schaefer said. "It's just getting started."

Schaefer isn't fazed by the fact he'll be the youngest defenseman (18 years, 34 days) chosen No. 1 in the Draft to play an NHL game, the second-youngest No. 1 pick at any position to debut (Nathan MacKinnon: 18 years, 31 days for the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 2, 2013) and the second-youngest defenseman in the past 70 years to debut (Chris Joseph: 18 years, 28 days for the Penguins on Oct. 8, 1987).

On top of that, he'll be lining up opposite Sidney Crosby, the Penguins captain in his 21st season since he was the No. 1 pick in the 2005 NHL Draft.

"It's obviously pretty cool playing a team like the Penguins; they're a great team and obviously they have a lot of great players," Schaefer said. "It's fun to go up against guys like that and challenge yourself and work your best. I mean, I just want to get better each and every day and there's always going to be challenges. There's always going to be ups and downs.

"We got a great team in here, though, so not really worried about what they are over there. I mean, obviously, we got great guys in the locker room here and we're kind of just focused on ourselves and what we can do."

In two seasons with nearby Erie (Pennsylvania) of the Ontario Hockey League, Schaefer had 39 points (10 goals, 29 assists) in 73 games. He played only 17 regular-season games in 2024-25 because of a broken collarbone, but it was there he put all NHL scouts on notice. Schaefer's best assets are his hockey sense and skating ability, and his maturity level is so high that many expect him to remain even keel in the toughest of times.

Those are the reasons Islanders coach Patrick Roy felt he was ready to begin his NHL career.

"I don't think he's going to make a lot of change (in his game) but obviously he's going to have to make some change from junior to the NHL," Roy said. "No disrespect for what was going on in junior, but I think he's going to have to learn and that's all we want. We want him to be himself and we're certainly not going to change his offensive skills. I'm sure he's going to have to make some adjustments, especially at the beginning with the strength of the players he was seeing in junior compared to NHL. That might be the biggest adjustment for him, but he's smart, so he'll be fine."

Schaefer will play with Scott Mayfield, a 32-year-old in his 12th NHL season, on the third defense pair and looks forward to the partnership this season.

"He's helped me a lot," Schaefer said. "Obviously, a lot of guys in this room have been in the League for a long time and I'm kind of the young one in here ... the young buck. Scott has been in the game, and he knows what to do, knows we got to talk a lot. They're going to be coming fast, so it's pretty easy to make plays with him."

Said Roy: "We want [Mayfield] to be basically a big brother to him and help him out and I know he will do really well."

Schaefer said his father, Todd, older brother, Johnny, and other friends and family members will be in attendance. Schaefer lost his mother, Jennifer, to breast cancer in February 2024, so there's no doubt she will also be on his mind.

"My dad's been super excited," Schaefer said. "He's like, 'Oh, I can't believe you're playing in the NHL.' He's like a kid in a candy store right now, just enjoying it. Obviously, all the hard times they went through ... your parents are working, driving you to practice, doing a lot of stuff. I wouldn't be here if not for them, so there's lots of family coming. I think there's close to 30, but we'll see. It's going to be awesome. Obviously, friends, family, so many people and it'll be good to see them after the game.

"But I'm so dialed-in. I'm super locked-in right now."