You’re going to have a hard time finding a projected No. 1 NHL Draft pick who has played fewer games than Erie Otters defender Matthew Schaefer.
Between the six games at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, two at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge, 17 in the OHL, four international exhibition games, and the four periods of action at the World Juniors, Schaefer skated in a total of 30 competitive hockey games throughout the 2024-25 season.
And yet, that didn’t impact his draft status in the slightest. Despite his limited workload, Schaefer is considered by many to be the best prospect in this draft. He’s as rounded as it gets – there isn’t a single glaring flaw in his game. When scouts describe comparables, names like Miro Heiskanen and Jake Sanderson pop up. Some scouts think he could be the best defenseman taken first overall in decades.
Schaefer has been through a lot already, starting with a pair of personal tragedies in his first major junior season. He then started the 2024-25 OHL campaign on the sidelines, missing nine games due to mononucleosis. He put up some excellent numbers once he returned and was easily the most impressive player at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge. It was a small two-game sample size, but it helped push him to the top of draft boards almost immediately.
Schaefer then made his mark as Canada’s best defenseman at the World Juniors, despite being the youngest defender there. Unfortunately, a broken clavicle against Latvia in the second game ultimately ended his season.
So, how has Schefer managed to stay at the top despite missing so much time? That’s a luxury so few prospects get.
There isn’t a better, more deceptive skater on the blueline in this draft class, with his mobility being among the best we’ve seen in recent draft classes. Schaefer is as good of a puck distributor as you’ll find, too, and it’s only a matter of time until he pops off in the OHL. That’s partly because he thinks that game is at such an advanced level at his age, often luring opponents in before pulling off a deceptive deke and getting the puck where it needs to be.
Like many other elite puck-moving, mobile defenders in the NHL, Schaefer is adaptable. He’s got so many moves in his playbook depending on what he sees. Schaefer will pinch when there’s an opening. He’ll stay back if he fears his D-partner is about to get caught out. He’ll go end-to-end if he thinks nobody else can get the play done like he can.
Schaefer can move well in any direction, and he uses that to drive his offense. Schaefer can rush the puck in with his high-end speed, and he has the hockey sense to let the rest do the work. He’s always moving and trying to make plays happen at both ends of the ice, and he’s got the awareness and poise to be a top unit power-play quarterback. So, you pair elite-level skating with some of the best hands and decision-making of any prospect in this draft class, and you’ve got as close to a perfect defenseman as you’ll find.
Dominating junior hockey is one thing – leveraging your skating at the next level is a whole different world. But scouts note just how high his hockey IQ is. You can have all the skill in the world, or you could be the biggest, meanest defender around. But if you can’t make quick decisions and your skating lags behind, you’re toast. Schaefer can break plays out all on his own – seriously, it’s impressive. He went end-to-end to score multiple times this season, which is absurd.
