New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer won last year's Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie. How long will it be before Schaefer is the Islanders' captain?
New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer showed elite skill at both ends of the ice throughout his Calder Trophy-winning rookie season.
But it was his overall demeanor – featuring a sky-high panic threshold, a fierce competitiveness and a commitment to taking care of business in the defensive zone – that set him apart from the rest and made him the unanimous choice as Calder winner.
And it's a measure of Schaefer's almost unlimited potential on and off the ice that Islanders coach Peter DeBoer is already talking about the 19-year-old becoming the official leader of the team.
"He's going to be a future captain of this team," DeBoer said of Schaefer in comments made to reporters earlier this week.
Of course, the Islanders just filled their captaincy position in mid-September when they announced veteran center Bo Horvat would assume the role.
But to hear Schaefer talk about it, as he did at the recent NHL Player Media Tour in Las Vegas, it's clear that his impact on the Isles organization – a team that desperately needed a legitimate superstar to build around – has a true gem of a player, and a cornerstone leader of the franchise.
And as he enters his second NHL season, Schaefer is sounding like he's clearly got the hang of playing in hockey's top league.
"Honestly, I've learned so much from start to finish," Schaefer said. "I gained my confidence. I learned what the league was like. There wasn't many days off, so you’re playing basically every other day.
"I found a lot of ways to get my rest and recovery, take care of my body, but play as close to 100 percent each and every night and be hungry every night. I think my second year will be awesome."
Schaefer lived with longtime Islanders enforcer Matt Martin in his rookie year, and that relationship is going to continue this season. But the experience he had in his rookie season is why Schaefer is sounding so positive about Year 2 of his NHL career.
"From my perspective or my family's perspective, they're a little more at ease when they can send me back for another year. I'm with the Martins, and I love it. I love Long Island, and I love my teammates and all the staff, so it's fun. This is the most fun I've had playing hockey.
"It's all because of the people that are surrounded around me and my support system. Every time I come to the rink, I have a smile on my face, and I'm ready to learn."
At a time when elite young defensemen like Colorado Avalanche superstar Cale Makar is earning $20 million per season, Schaefer's performance is positioning him to make a boatload of money. But all Schaefer is thinking about is growing as a player, not growing his bank account.
"Obviously, that's great for the league," Schaefer said of Makar's lucrative contract extension. "But I'm a player. I'm not an agent. Obviously, at the end of the day, my agent can worry about that. Math was fun, but it's not what I'm good at.
"At the end of the day, the agents can worry about it. I love Long Island. I love our team, our staff, all the fans, and everybody involved."
Ultimately, Schaefer has been a stunning talent because he can contribute offensively and defensively. And he almost sounds giddy in explaining why he loves both sides of the game.
You can hear the leader in him, and it's only a matter of time before he becomes the Islanders captain. Just look how he describes what he loves about the game, and the ebbs and flows of being a legit superstar:
"I love defense because you can play both (defense and offense)," Schaefer said, "I can jump in the rush, but I'm not going to jump in the rush and be up there the whole time. I want to get back and play defense, too. I want to do it all on my team in any way possible.
"Some games, I'm very defensive, and I'm not getting any touches up in the O-zone as much. There's going to be games where I'm feeling it up front, and I'm going to be getting a lot of chances up front. It's nice."
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