Islanders Notebook: Schaefer vs. Mannequin, Duclair’s No-Helmet Warmup
From Schaefer sucker-punching a mannequin to Duclair ditching the bucket in warmups, here are some training camp nuggets.
EAST MEADOW, NY — With vibes high at Islanders camp, you never know what you’ll hear or see—cheers after a rush, boos on a miss, Roy’s whistle with a sharp “hustle, hustle,” or even a player squaring off with a mannequin.
In today’s Islanders Notebook, I spoke with Matthew Schaefer about his run-in with the on-ice dummy and Anthony Duclair on going helmetless in warmups. These are the fun extras I want to keep mixing into The Elmonters.
For now, they’re free—so subscribe to keep getting these nuggets all season long.
Schaefer vs. Manniquin
There are times throughout the season when the Islanders will have a few mannequins on the ice, whether it's for goaltenders working on screens or defensemen working on getting shots through from the point.
Monday was the first day the mainnequins hit the ice. Schaefer had a bone to pick with one of them:
Obviously, the mannequin must have said something to rile up the No. 1 overall pick?
“As I was skating near it, it was talking back to me quite a bit,” Schaefer told The Elmonters. “So, I had to give it a little bit of a punch.”
Matt Martin shedding a happy tear in the near distance….
I’m not sure what it said to Rittich, but that’s the last person I’m talking back to.
Whether it’s Schaefer punching the mannequin or walking into a slapper and showing off a new celly, it’s clear the youngster is living in the moment day after day.
Sure, he hasn’t faced the grind of an 82-game NHL season, and it’s not always the time to laugh and smile. But for a kid who has been through what he’s been through, he embraces life to the fullest—and that energy is contagious. It already seems to be rubbing off on the franchise and his teammates, whether they’re 10-year vets or just a few years older.
When it comes to Schaefer and the fan base, they’re still in the honeymoon phase. Today, select season-ticket holders were at practice, and Schaefer loved getting to see them as often as he has since joining the organization.
“It’s awesome. Every time you go on the ice, you want to go as hard as you can, and you want to get better each and every day,” Schaefer said. “When your fans come to support you, it shows how much they care, and it really gives you that little bit of an extra boost.”
Duclair On Ditching Helmet During Warmups:
The Islanders have loosened some rules in this new era—one being that players can now choose to go without helmets during warmups. Each team handles this differently, but the NHL has a grandfather rule in place.
“It’s grandfathered in. Rookies can’t do it anymore,” Anthony Duclair told The Elmonters. “In 5 to 6 years, you won’t be seeing any more of that. So you have to take advantage.”
Duclair is one of five Islanders currently going bucketless: Bo Horvat, Mathew Barzal, Casey Cizikas, and Tony DeAngelo.
So what does skating without a bucket actually do for a player?
“It just feels nice to be honest,” Duclair said. “It’s a little boost of confidence. Get out there. You feel good.”
This is not Duclair’s first time hitting the ice without a helmet.
“Yeah, I did in the past. I think it’s pretty cool. Always wanted to do it,” Duclair said. “I’ve been on teams where we had the rule, where you couldn’t do that. We had the rule in Florida as well. But yeah, every time we don’t have the rule, I like to go no bucket.”
What about showcasing the flow, the most important thing, obviously?
“Yeah, the flow, for sure,” Duclair said with a laugh. “You’re gonna see some different hairstyles this year, for sure.”
