The 18-year-old Schaefer is already drawing praise from some of the game's all-time great blueliners. David Kirouac / Imagn Images
As Matthew Schaefer put together a Calder Trophy-winning rookie season for the New York Islanders, he frequently heard his name in conversation with those of historically great NHL defensemen. And while his prolific statistical achievements made him worthy of such comparisons, the players he was being likened to sometimes didn’t register.
“A lot of people would say names to me, and I’d be like, ‘So who’s that?'” the 18-year-old told The Athletic during a late-season interview.
Schaefer is a savant on the ice, but he’s far from one when it comes to knowing hockey history. Playing sports — hockey, soccer, football or anything outside with his family and friends — always trumped watching them. Plus, the defenseman he took the most from growing up never played in the NHL, let alone reached the Hall of Fame. His older brother, Johnathon, is 9 1/2 years his senior and played three full seasons with OHL Niagara. Young Matthew would go to those games and watch Johnathon, a shutdown blueliner, stop behind the net to let plays develop. Matthew would imitate it in his youth hockey games, much to his teammates’ confusion.
