It was an emotional moment for Matthew Schaefer and his family when Gary Bettman announced Matthew Schaefer as the first-overall pick at the 2025 NHL Draft. Despite injury and personal hardship, the Erie Otters' defender proved he was the top prospect in this draft class. In February of 2024, Schaefer lost his mother, Jennifer, to breast cancer. The young defender was visibly in tears as he stood on the stage wearing the blue, orange and white of the New York Islanders [http://thn.com/nyislanders]. Porter Martone spent time with Canada at the World Championship this Summer. Schaefer was the first-overall pick at the 2023 OHL Priority Selection. The 6-foot-2 defender scored 10 goals and added 29 assists in 73 games with Erie over the course of the last two years. This past season, he only played 17 games for Erie due to a combination of injury and illness. He was named to Canada's World Junior roster and scored a goal and added an assist in the two games he played at the tournament before succumbing to an upper-body injury. Just making the team was an accomplishment for the 17-year-old defender as Canada's roster normally consists of 19 and 20-year-old players. Schaefer impressed in the two games he played for Canada, showcasing his elite skating abilities and offensive instincts. His performance in those two games was so impressive that he became the consensus first-overall pick for the entire second half of the season despite being unable to play for the remainder of the season. Bulldogs Acquire Two Time OHL Champion Ryder Boulton [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/d55ca737-de59-4dff-bd04-7a538259a706.webp] Bulldogs Acquire Two Time OHL Champion Ryder Boulton Earlier today, the London Knights sent 2006-born forward Ryder Boulton to the Brantford Bulldogs in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round pick. [https://thehockeynews.com/ohl/latest-news/bulldogs-acquire-two-time-ohl-champion-ryder-boulton] He's the first OHL player since Connor McDavid to be a first-overall pick in his OHL Draft year and NHL draft year. Schaefer is a fantastic add for the Islanders who just traded away Noah Dobson earlier today. He profiles as a strong two-way defender who can not only score big goals and contribute offensively but also lock down defensively. It is entirely possibly that Schaefer could join the Islanders as soon as next season based on his skillset and accomplishments. However, it may be more prudent for the Islanders to give their young prospect a bit more time to develop. This seems especially true given the amount of time he missed this past season. Whether he joins the NHL next season or not it seems like Schaefer has a bright future ahead of him with his new NHL franchise. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
