Matthew Schaefer being the first NHL No. 1 pick out of the Ontario Hockey League since Connor McDavid in 2015 is pressure enough. Then there’s following Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini into the league.
Bedard with Chicago and immediately were put into prominent roles. Bedard won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, and Celebrini finished third in the voting.
by the New York Islanders, Schaefer may not be in that conversation this season, through little fault of his own. He is a defenseman, a position that traditionally requires a longer, steeper learning curve, and the team is a potential franchise cornerstone of the future.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to give him time,鈥 said coach Patrick Roy, who made the all-rookie team as a goaltender on the way to the Hall of Fame. “We鈥檙e going to be extremely patient with him. He鈥檚 a phenomenal kid, has great values. He鈥檚 very humble. It was fun in that first conversation to see him. He looks you in the eyes, and you could tell he wants to learn and he wants to be the best he can be.鈥
Schaefer, who just turned 18 on Sept. 5, is not alone, as most of the top picks in this year鈥檚 draft need more experience. A look at the top of the NHL’s rookie class:
Matthew Schaefer, Islanders
Roy was Colorado’s coach in 2013 when Nathan MacKinnon was the top pick with big expectations. Roy said he plans to follow a similar approach, starting Schaefer lower in the lineup and getting the chance to earn more ice time.
Schaefer opened training camp on the third defensive pair alongside veteran Scott Mayfield.
鈥淢y ears are wide open for him to let me know what I need to do better,鈥 Schaefer said.
The Islanders consider it a collective effort to help Schaefer acclimate to life in the pros and the hype of going first in the draft.
鈥淥bviously, there鈥檚 going to be some sort of pressure on him,鈥 center Bo Horvat said. 鈥淚f anybody鈥檚 going to handle it, it’s going to be him. ... He鈥檚 a very likable kid and easy to get along with right away, so he鈥檚 going to fit into our group really well.”
Ivan Demidov, Canadiens
How much did hockey-mad Montreal care bout Demidov signing an NHL contract and arriving from Russia late last season? There was a livestream dedicated to his international flight landing in 海角社区官网on the way to join the team.
鈥淚 was like, 鈥極h man, this is crazy,鈥欌 captain Nick Suzuki said.
Demidov, the fifth pick in the 2024 draft, got a head start by playing in two regular-season and five playoff games last spring. He is the prohibitive Calder favorite, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
鈥淚t鈥檚 super impressive to see someone have that much talent at that age, and he obviously had a great start with us and had some nice moments in the playoffs, as well,鈥 Suzuki said. 鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to seeing what he can bring to the roster this year.”
Michael Misa, Sharks
The second pick behind Schaefer joins a talented young core in San Jose headlined by Celebrini and Will Smith.
“He鈥檚 an awesome kid,” Celebrini said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a reason he went second overall. He鈥檚 a special player.鈥
Misa upon getting drafted said he intended to play in the NHL right away. General manager Mike Grier expects Misa’s play to dictate that..
鈥淗e wants to be the best,鈥 Grier said. 鈥淗e wants to play against the best. I鈥檓 sure this is what he wants to do, but we鈥檙e not gonna hand him anything. He鈥檚 got to come into training camp and try and take a job and earn a spot.鈥
Ryan Leonard, Capitals
Like Demidov, Leonard broke into the NHL late last season, playing a total of 17 games as and Washington reached the second round of the playoffs.
Leonard had just two assists, but he’s now counted on to be a regular contributor for the Capitals, even if his mindset was just to earn a roster spot.
鈥淣othing鈥檚 guaranteed, so just going out there and try to prove that I can make the team and play at the level,鈥 Leonard said.
___
AP NHL:
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation