Grief, loss changed mindset of top NHL draft prospect Matthew Schaefer

Matthew Schaefer (left) signs a Canadian hockey fan's jersey after practice in Petawawa, Ont., on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Matthew Schaefer has been hit with heartache and grief.

The 17-year-old defenceman projected to go first overall at the 2025 NHL draft dusted himself off after each devastating blow.

Those tragedies now help shape his perspective in and out of hockey as he churns toward the biggest moment to date in a young career.

“I’ve been through a lot,” Schaefer said. “I’m so much stronger that I went through this stuff.”

“Work your hardest, be a good person,” the Hamilton product added. “You never know what people are going through.”

The star blueliner with the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters has been through more than most.

Schaefer’s world was knocked off its axis in February 2024 when his mother, Jennifer, died of breast cancer.

“She’s always with me in spirit,” he said. “I know she has a front-row seat every game … she was a strong woman. I talk about more the happy memories instead of the sad memories.

“There’s a lot of things I’ve learned. I’m definitely a lot stronger.”

That devastating news came three months after Schaefer’s billet mom was struck and killed by a train in what was ruled a death by suicide. The six-foot-two, 186-pound blueliner was then rocked again in December as he prepared to play for Canada at the world junior hockey championship when mentor and Otters owner Jim Waters died of a heart attack.

“When I was younger and I stubbed my toe, I probably would have thought the world was ending,” Schaefer, the No. 1-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting, said during the Stanley Cup final. “But going through everything, there’s so (many) worse things that can happen in life.

“Each and every day, I just want to have a positive mindset.”

An elite defenceman with exceptional skating, defensive awareness and playmaking ability, Schaefer is expected to hear his name called when the New York Islanders make the top selection Friday at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

Schaefer played just 17 games in the OHL this season after breaking his collarbone at those world juniors in Ottawa — the beginning of the end for a host country that would suffer another disappointing quarterfinal exit — putting up seven goals and 15 assists for 22 points with Erie.

A pair of centres ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in North America will likely be picked soon after Schaefer — Michael Misa of the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit and James Hagens of the NCAA’s Boston College Eagles.

A product of Oakville, Ont., Misa was granted exceptional status to play major junior a year early ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. He registered 62 goals and 72 assists for 134 points in 65 games this season.

“A lot of different emotions,” the 18-year-old said of his journey. “I’m just trying to take it all in.”

Hagens had 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists) in 37 contests as an NCAA freshman, often battling against much older players.

“It’s awesome being able to be in this spot,” said the 18-year-old from Hauppauge, N.Y., who also helped the U.S. win world junior gold.

The NHL will hold its first decentralized draft — similar to the NFL and NBA — that will see teams’ brain trusts make picks remotely instead of on the ground in L.A.

It’s unclear if this as-yet-untested format will continue beyond 2025.

The league has said it will be inviting the top-50 prospects based on its final rankings to the showcase. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is slated to announce the first selection before the remaining 31 first-round picks will be called out by special guests with connections to individual clubs.

The San Jose Sharks own the No. 2 selection, followed by the Chicago Blackhawks, Utah Mammoth and Nashville Predators.

The Vancouver Canucks currently possess the highest pick among Canadian franchises at No. 15. The Montreal Canadiens have both the 16th and 17th selections — the first of which was part of the 2022 trade with the Calgary Flames for Sean Monahan.

Calgary will select 18th with a pick acquired from the New Jersey Devils in the deal for goaltender Jacob Markstrom last June.

The Ottawa Senators (21st) and Winnipeg Jets (28th) will look to stock their prospect cupboards before the Flames round out Friday’s proceedings with the No. 32 pick, which originally belonged to the Florida Panthers and ties a bow on the Matthew Tkachuk trade.

The Toronto Maple Leafs (No. 25) and Edmonton Oilers (No. 31) previously traded their first-round selections. The draft continues Saturday with rounds two through seven.

Schaefer will be off the board long before then. And his mother will no doubt be in his thoughts as he climbs those draft stairs.

“My mindset has changed,” Schaefer said. “What my mom went through, having a smile on her face with cancer and everything trying to bring her down … but she wouldn’t let it bring her down. Someone I look up to, really strong.

“Wish I was as tough as her.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2025.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press