Prospect rankings vary by scout, but Matthew Schaefer stands out as an elite young defenseman. Schaefer, the first overall pick by the New York Islanders in the 2025 NHL Draft, earned the top-drafted prospect spot from Daily Faceoff. Analysts praise his puck-moving ability and project long-term Norris Trophy contention. The Athletic ranked him second behind Ivan Demidov, but the Islanders' prospect pool is strong with five players in the top 27, including Calum Ritchie and Cole Eiserman. At 17, Schaefer could make the Islanders' opening lineup and may either stay or return to the Erie Otters after nine games.
Ranking NHL prospects is completely objective, as each scout may see something in a player that another doesn't. There's no exact science to it, but one thing is for sure. Nearly everyone sees something special in NY Islanders prospect Matthew Schaefer. Schaefer, the first overall pick by the NY Islanders in the 2025 NHL Draft, has been ranked the top-drafted prospect in the league by Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff.
"Seriously, it's hard to find one negative aspect about his game. Schaefer is as close to a perfect puck-moving defender as you'll find. He's going to be in the Norris Trophy conversation for the next 15 years - he's that good."
These rankings are released shortly after The Athletic put together its top prospects piece, in which they had Schaefer ranked second, behind Ivan Demidov of the Montreal Canadiens. But Ellis believes the Islanders blueliner has an edge over Demidov, ranking the dynamic Russian No. 2. In fact, Ellis holds the Islanders' prospects as a whole in higher regard than The Athletic. The Isles have five prospects in the top 27, including Calum Ritchie (No. 19), Cole Eiserman (No. 25), Victor Eklund (No. 26), and Kashawn Aitcheson (No. 27).
While the prospects above appear to have a bright future ahead of them, all eyes are on Schaefer. It appears the 17-year-old will have a good chance of being in the lineup on Oct. 9 when the Islanders open the season against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Whether he remains on Long Island for the season or returns to the Erie Otters after nine games remains to be seen, but the Islanders have a potential superstar patrolling the blue line for the foreseeable future.
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