Hometown heroes Matthew Schaefer and Calum Ritchie return to Toronto, playing their first NHL game before hundreds of family and friends.
TORONTO -- A pair of New York Islanders rookies are back where it all began. No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer and 2025 Trade Deadline acquisition Calum Ritchie will face off against their hometown Toronto Maple Leafs in front of family and friends for the first time in their NHL careers.
Schaefer is from Hamilton, Ontario, while Ritchie hails from Oakville, Ontario.
"It's awesome," Schaefer told local reporters following Tuesday's morning skate. "You are coming back to the roots a little bit. I came to games growing up with my dad and friends and things like that. So just be good to be here, have family be in the building, and things like that."
Schaefer said following Monday's practice that there would be close to 1,000 people in attendance.
One of those guests is his grandmother, Marianne, who is currently in a wheelchair.
"In Ottawa, my grandparents on my mom's side got to come watch me play. And then now my nana on my dad's side will be able to come watch me play," Schaefer said. "I think this actually could be her first NHL game ever. I think it is, and it'll be her first time watching me in the NHL. So I mean, she's come to a couple of minor hockey games going up and things like that, but that'll be pretty, pretty special for me and her for tonight."
While it will be an exciting night for Schaefer, the result matters immensely for the Islanders' playoff race. They begin the night holding down the third seed in the Metropolitan Division, two points back of the second-place Pittsburgh Penguins and one point up on the Columbus Blue Jackets.
"Any game from here on out is just a battle, because everyone's in the race for playoffs and things like that," Schaefer said. "So it just makes it that much more fun when it's close to your hometown, with lots of family in the building. But it's just like every other game. We want to get to two points. I mean, we believe in what we've got going on in this room, and we've got something really good. So we're going to keep focusing on what we've got going on and keep trying to get as many wins as we can."
While Ritchie isn't expecting close to 1,000 people, he's amped up to have his people in the stands.
"I'm just glad to have all my family here, my friends," Ritchie said. "It's gonna be a blast. Growing up here, I came to a lot of games growing up, so it's going to be a special night."
How special will it be for Ritchie to skate on Scotiabank ice?
"Yeah, it's crazy. I was at dinner with my parents yesterday. My sister was talking about how crazy it is that I'm playing in this building and in the NHL," Ritchie said. "Growing up as a kid, you come to so many games. It'll be pretty cool to play on the ice tonight."