When first-year general manager Mathieu Darche headed up to Buffalo for the 2025 NHL Combine, there was no question that Matthew Schaefer was the front-runner to become the New York Islanders’ first-overall pick.
Come the end of the combine, there was no other choice but Schaefer donning the blue and orange on the draft stage in Los Angeles.
While Schaefer’s on-ice prowess was nothing short of spectacular, given his mobility, hockey IQ, and dynamic two-way game, the then-17-year-old showed us all that he was more than just a kid who could go first overall.