Ahead of NHL training camps, each team sends a representative to the NHL Media Tour in Las Vegas. This year, the New York Islanders sent Calder Trophy-winning defenseman Matthew Schaefer as their representative.
Matthew Schaefer Representing Islanders At NHL Media Tour In Las VegasThe Calder Trophy winner heads to Sin City as the face of the franchise, showcasing his elite skill and community leadership on hockey’s biggest promotional stage.Schaefer, 19, lit the hockey world on fire last season as an 18-year-old rookie, shattering all previous records for 18-year-old defensemen and establishing himself as a generational talent.
He recorded 23 goals and 59 points, good for second on the team in both categories, while also landing him the Calder Trophy awarded to the NHL's best rookie.
The question is, how does he even top a season like that?
Schaefer's already motivated to blow it out of the water.
"I will always have the highest expectations," Schaefer said to reporters, including The Hockey News' Michael Traikos, at the NHL Media Tour. "Last year was good, but I think I can be even better this year [...] I've gotten bigger, stronger, and faster. And I put on some weight, which was awesome."
As for how different it feels going from year one into year two, Schaefer practically called it night and day.
"Yeah, I mean, you go into your first year, you don't know what to expect," Schaefer said. "You're at training camp, you're at rookie camp, and you're a little nervous because you don't know many guys there. You're coming in, it's different. But honestly, I've learned so much from start to finish. I gained my confidence.
"I learned what the league was like," Schaefer continued. "Obviously, there weren't many days off, so you're playing basically every other day, and I found a lot of ways to get my rest and recovery, take care of my body, but play at 100, you know, as close to 100 percent, each and every night, and be hungry every night.
"Year 2 can be even better. And, you know, it took me the first little bit of the season to get going. I want to come out of the gates going right away and carry it through the whole season."
Going straight from Juniors into the NHL is not an easy task whatsoever, but one thing Schaefer has consistently praised the Islanders' organization for everything they've done.
"Obviously, I think the main thing that helped me last year was just everybody in the Islanders organization," Schaefer said. "Mainly my teammates and coaches and all the staff. They helped me so much from top to bottom. So I would like to thank, you know, everybody.
“This is the most fun I've had playing hockey, and, it's all because of the people that are surrounding me and my support system," Schaefer continued. "Every time I come to the rink, I have a smile on my face. I'm ready to learn. I'm ready to work. And I'm ready to just be there with my family. It's awesome.”
There is nobody on the planet in the hockey world like Matthew Schaefer.
It's also increasingly clear that nobody is more motivated than Schaefer to build off his first year and be even better in year two.
"Bigger, stronger, faster."
How's it even possible for Schaefer to get any faster? Only time will tell, but it feels like a pure warning shot to the entire league that the Schaefer Show on Long Island is only just getting started.
