Schaefer (6-foot-2, 183 pounds), No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters, had surgery on Dec. 30 after sustaining a broken clavicle three days earlier while playing for Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa. He was cleared for contact by doctors on May 1 after missing the last 46 games, including nine OHL playoff games. He finished with 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) and a plus-21 rating in 17 OHL games.
The New York Islanders have the No. 1 pick in the Draft after winning the NHL Draft Lottery on May 5. He meets with the Islanders brass on Tuesday.
Schaefer said he’ll continue to build strength this offseason.
“I’m working out with (trainer) Bryan Marshall, and my defense coach is (former NHL defenseman) Mark Giordano, so I’m super excited to work with him,” Schaefer said. “I’m going to be skating with him a lot.”
Among the NHL players Schaefer will likely skate with this summer at the Canadian Ice Academy in Mississauga, Ontario, is Islanders defenseman and former Erie alumnus Adam Pelech. They each work with Marshall as their trainer.
‘Hagens come home’
James Hagens isn’t exactly privy to his growing fan base on social media these days.
Growing up an avid New York Islanders fan on Long Island in Hauppage, New York, however, he was aware of a bumper sticker created by the Islanders fan base a week after the NHL club moved up nine spots to win the NHL Draft Lottery.
The sticker read: “Hagens come home.”
“I have seen it,” Hagens said with a grin. “It’s cool when you see people around Long Island supporting that and having that on their car … it’s special. Growing up an Islanders fan and seeing them get that first pick, naturally you’re happy, you’re excited.
“Being from Long Island and always being around the Isles my whole entire life, I know how exciting that is for all my friends and every Isles fan out there. You just have to be grateful for whichever team takes a chance on you. It’s cool that [the Islanders won the lottery] but you don’t know what’s going to happen on draft day.”
The San Jose Sharks have the No. 2 pick, the Chicago Blackhawks own the No. 3 pick, and the Utah Mammoth are at No. 4. Hagens, No. 3 on NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters, had 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists) in 37 games as a freshman at Boston College in Hockey East this season.
Would he be disappointed if he isn’t chosen by the Islanders?
“You grow up around the team, grow up going to games, grow up in the old arena, the Nassau Coliseum,” he said. “It’d be really cool to go there but you just have to be grateful for any team that picks you in the NHL. There’s so many great teams, so many great places.”
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
