By Ethan Sears
Ten or so minutes following his first practice as an Islander, two days after getting drafted, one day after getting off a private jet at Farmingdale airport, and before his third interview of the morning, Matthew Schaefer had one request.
鈥淐an I sit down?鈥 he asked.
It鈥檚 all gone so fast for this 17-year-old, there hasn鈥檛 been much time to do that lately.
To talk to Schaefer is to feel the big-time intersecting with his small world.
At some point in all the madness, he saw a video from a draft party back home in Stoney Creek, Ontario, with all of his teachers at a year-end party seeing Gary Bettman announce his name with the No. 1 and going crazy, chanting and cheering.
At another, he opened his phone and had texts from Matthew Tkachuk and Connor McDavid. The thing still hasn鈥檛 stopped buzzing.
鈥淚 answered all my messages, [but] there鈥檚 a bunch I still haven鈥檛 answered 鈥檆ause I answered all of them and then a bunch keep coming in,鈥 Schaefer said. 鈥淚t should die down soon. I鈥檝e been trying to answer as much as I can.鈥
Sunday night, Schaefer said, was the first time in a while he鈥檇 gotten a real, full night of sleep.
So there were no nerves when he got onto the ice wearing an Islanders sweater for the first time at development camp in front of a decent-sized crowd of fans that came out on a Monday morning for a glimpse of the franchise鈥檚 future.
There鈥檚 been so much going on, it鈥檚 almost easy to forget that Monday also doubled as Schaefer鈥檚 first formal practice 鈥 he鈥檚 worked out plenty in private 鈥 since breaking his clavicle at World Junior Championships two days after Christmas.
鈥淚 was smiling ear to ear the whole time, just to get back out there,鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e said this a lot: Hockey players don鈥檛 like watching. To get all the equipment on, play with other guys, getting out there was a big thing for me. Can鈥檛 wait. I just can鈥檛 wait to start working as hard as I can all summer so I make that opening night roster.鈥
And make no mistake: Now that Schaefer is here in New York, the goal is to stay.
鈥淥ne hundred percent,鈥 he said. 鈥淥bviously, the draft鈥檚 good fun, but put the work boots on. You want to play in the NHL, want to play as long as you can. For me, just getting my body ready, working as hard as I can, playing with NHL guys all summer, working hard, they鈥檙e gonna be pushing me. Being in that environment鈥檚 super big. I want to be on [the] opening night roster.鈥
Monday鈥檚 light practice offered few clues toward that end. It is rare, though, for a No. 1 pick not to start the season in the NHL, and going into the start of free agency Tuesday, the Islanders blue line looked ripe for Schaefer to grab a spot.
It won鈥檛 hurt, either, that he鈥檒l be working this summer in a group that includes Adam Pelech and Isaiah George, with former Calgary defenseman Mark Giordano running things.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been hanging out all summer this offseason,鈥 George said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a really good kid, super humble, just the way he goes about his business is super professional. You wouldn鈥檛 realize he鈥檚 a first-round pick just with how humble and how down to earth he is. Really good guy, then obviously on the ice, [he] speaks for himself. Great skater; he鈥檚 got really good heads-up play. He鈥檚 really good.鈥
Once things inevitably calm down in Schaefer鈥檚 world, that鈥檚 the bottom line: The Islanders just got a really good hockey player.
鈥淕etting drafted is nice, obviously 鈥 first overall is a huge honor 鈥 but you put that in the past,鈥 he said. 鈥淥bviously, you can always think about it, but when you鈥檙e at camp and you鈥檙e at hockey, you put that behind you. You work as hard as you can, put your head down. Nothing鈥檚 given, so the work starts now. The real work starts now.鈥