Matthew Schaefer has already had an incredible season. The New York Islanders' new coach should be able to make him even more effective while improving his development at both ends of the ice.
Matthew Schaefer has rightfully earned the generational tag he's been given 78 games into his NHL career.
In those 78 games, Schaefer has scored 22 goals and 58 points, setting records for goals and points by an 18-year-old defenseman. His output is almost unfathomable, and he has changed the New York Islanders overnight.
Entering the season, the Islanders were expected to be sellers by the deadline and in the race for a top pick in the NHL draft. Instead, they are in the midst of a fierce playoff battle.
Although the Islanders have exceeded expectations, rookie GM Mathieu Darche hasn't sat on his assets. Darche made moves to acquire Brayden Schenn, Carson Soucy and Ondrej Palat prior to the trade deadline, but his recent move demonstrates just how much he believes in his group.
On Sunday, the Islanders shocked the hockey world, firing coach Patrick Roy after nearly three seasons as the bench boss and replacing him with the highly coveted Peter DeBoer.
When Darche made the move, the Islanders had four games remaining on their schedule but were on a cold streak, having lost four straight. The Islanders suffered a 4-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes the night before, but a rare four-day break in the schedule allowed them to make this move and give DeBoer time to meet with the team and begin implementing his systems and philosophy.
Of every player on the Islanders roster, no player may benefit more from the coaching change than Schaefer.
It's fairly clear that Schaefer wasn't struggling in any way under Roy; it's just the simple belief that DeBoer's structured defensive game and penchant for his defensemen to jump into the play offensively should only help Schaefer take his game to the next level.
DeBoer may have only been with the team for a few days, but he is already impressed by his new stud defender.
"He's special. He's a special player, but he's also got a special personality," DeBoer told reporters. "He's got a confidence to him. He looks you in the eye when he talks to you. He's not afraid to get into a conversation like a lot of young players are. He's got that quiet confidence. (Macklin) Celebrini has the same thing, being around him at the Olympics. It's really great to have two kids that young with that type of skill but also that type of personality."
Schaefer also had plenty of great things to say about DeBoer, praising his ability to serve as a role model and the strong performances of his previous teams.
DeBoer hasn't brought home a Stanley Cup, but he's had plenty of success with the New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks, Vegas Golden Knights and, most recently, the Dallas Stars.
When DeBoer was with the Stars, his team reached the Western Conference final in each of his seasons. Beyond the team's success, defensemen Miro Heiskanen and Thomas Harley posted career seasons under DeBoer's tutelage.
DeBoer joined the Stars organization in 2022, and in his first season, Heiskanen shattered his previous career highs. Up until that point, Heiskanen had never posted more than 36 points, but he was fantastic defensively.
That first season, Heiskanen, who was 23, posted 11 goals and 73 points in 79 games. He then followed up that season with 54 points and is now widely considered one of the top five defensemen in the NHL.
Harley also saw rapid development.
In two seasons under DeBoer, Harley notched 31 goals and 66 assists for 97 points in 157 games, earning spots on Team Canada's 4 Nations Face-Off roster and its Olympic squad.
Prior to Heiskanen and Harley, it was Shea Theodore who posted his best seasons to date under DeBoer.
DeBoer doesn't want to overcomplicate things for his players; he just wants them to play hockey.
That will serve Schaefer well, since he appears to be having fun at all times.
DeBoer's defensive structure should only help Schaefer in his own end, although he's proven his defensive development is ahead of schedule.
Schaefer uses his stick to break up plays on the rush and on the cycle, but DeBoer's system will take some pressure off him, as the forwards will be more involved when defending in their own end.
Offensively, Schaefer will be encouraged to join the rush and kick-start it more often than he's already shown.
Schaefer is one of the best skaters in the NHL, proven by his 95th-percentile maximum skating speed of 23.09 miles per hour, as well as ranking in the 99th percentile of 22-plus miles-per-hour skating bursts, 99th percentile of 20-to-22 miles-per-hour skating bursts and 99th percentile of 18-to-20 miles-per-hour skating bursts, according to NHL Edge.
Schaefer's skating ability will allow him to continue to jump into the rush and get back into position when needed.
Finally, DeBoer expects a lot from his No. 1 defenseman, and the 2025 first overall pick has shown he has plenty of stamina and is willing to take on big minutes.
When watching Schaefer, it's hard to imagine there's actually another level for him to reach, but there truly is so much growth left for Schaefer to achieve, and DeBoer is a great coach to help him achieve it.
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