Islanders Captain Anders Lee Shares Advice For Matthew Schaefer, Young Players Before First Preseason Game
Islanders captain Anders Lee shares his advice for the team’s young players, including No. 1 pick Matthew Schaefer, as they prepare for their first preseason action.
EAST MEADOW, NY — Tonight, the New York Islanders will have all members of their 2025 NHL Draft Class who are taking part in training camp in the lineup for the club’s first preseason game:
Following morning skate, I caught up with Islanders captain Anders Lee to hear what his message to the youngsters was, what he expects to see from No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer & more:
Stefen Rosner: You have everyone that's here from the 2025 NHL Draft playing in this game tonight. What's your message to these young guys?
Anders Lee: "Enjoy it. Go play your game. The rest will settle in—the system stuff will come. It’s a good time of the year to just go play your game, then get coached up and let your natural instincts take over. Enjoy it. It’ll be a fun night for everyone here, and I’m glad to see these young guys get to pull the jersey on and go play a hockey game. Like I said, just go out, play your game, be you, and enjoy it.”
Stefen Rosner: For Long Island native Marshall Warren, I remember last year, he got brought to Philly, warmed up, but didn’t get to play. He’s playing tonight. How cool is it for him, given that he grew up on Long Island as a die-hard Islanders fan?
Anders Lee: “Yeah, it’s really cool. I’m pumped for him in that regard. And you know, his process—going through that situation last year, putting in the work, continuing to get better—he’s earned the right to play a game tonight. He’s looked great in camp. He’s got a great attitude, his focus is there, and it’ll be fun to see him on the ice.”
Stefen Rosner: With Schaefer, you guys have all talked about his maturity and how ready he looks. How excited are you just to see him play?
Anders Lee: “Yeah, very excited. He’s put in an impressive effort these first few days and made quite the impression. Now we’ll get into some live action, some games. Everyone will get their feet wet tonight—get timing down, spacing, getting used to being hit a little. Same thing for Schaefer: go out there, play your game, and he’ll be just fine.”
Stefen Rosner: Thinking back to your first preseason game, how much of an adjustment was the physicality?
Anders Lee: “There’s definitely a step, for sure, in terms of the physicality. It’s not necessarily like you’re getting hit everywhere—it’s more the strength, the strength to win a battle, to push off and get open, to protect the puck. The speed is definitely faster, too. I think it’s a combo of the two. But once you settle in, you start figuring it out and finding your spots. Those first preseason games, your head is spinning a little, and that’s just part of the process. Sometimes it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been around—that first game is always about getting timing down and your feet under you. That’s what’s great about tonight.”
Stefen Rosner: It seems like Scott Mayfield is kind of the perfect D partner for Schaefer. What have you seen between those two? Schaefer seems to be asking everybody questions, but Mayfield’s really seems to be teaching him a lot.”
Anders Lee: “Well, Scotty has always been such a great teammate in that regard. He looks out for guys. With his pedigree and how he plays the game, a lot of that comes naturally to him—he’s been doing it for a long time. For Schaefer, I think he can add to his game from that. They can probably trade off some instincts, but a lot of the little things at the NHL level—defending, knowing when and how to push guys, when to steer them away—Scotty’s got those down. He knows how to handle those situations, and those little tips are huge for a young guy.”
