It only took Pete DeBoer four games behind the Islanders bench last season to know exactly what he had in Matthew Schaefer. Months later, the message hasn’t changed — and it now comes with the word “captain” attached.
Speaking with The Athletic’s Peter Baugh, DeBoer laid out where he sees the 18-year-old fitting into the room, and he didn’t hedge on the ceiling. He also made clear he’s in no hurry to pile the responsibility on too soon.
What DeBoer Said
Asked about Schaefer’s place in the dressing room, DeBoer framed him as someone the group already listens to.
“I think he’s already a respected voice in that dressing room,” DeBoer said. “Having said that, he’s an 18-, 19-year-old player, and he’s got an awful lot on his plate individually. Will he be part of our (leadership) group? Absolutely he will, and I think he’s got future captain written all over him. But I think we have to be very careful not to put too much on his plate too early.”
That’s the balance DeBoer is trying to strike — acknowledging Schaefer as a cornerstone while protecting a teenager who’s already carrying enormous expectations.
The “C” Is Actually Open
This isn’t a hypothetical vacancy. Anders Lee wore the captaincy for eight seasons before signing with the Utah Mammoth this summer, leaving Long Island without a captain heading into the year.
DeBoer isn’t racing to fill it. Asked whether he’d name someone before opening night, he said he wants to spend training camp with the group, get a better feel for his options, and make the call from there.
Handing Schaefer the letter right now would rewrite the record book again. He doesn’t turn 19 until September 5, which would make him the youngest full-time captain in NHL history, passing Connor McDavid, who took the Edmonton job at 19 years and 266 days back in 2016.
Why the Islanders Are This Excited
The hype is earned. Schaefer won the Calder Trophy unanimously — the first player to sweep the vote in 33 years — after posting 23 goals and 36 assists in 82 games, the most points any 18-year-old defenseman has ever recorded. At 18 years and 223 days, he’s also the youngest Calder winner ever, edging Nathan MacKinnon’s 2014 mark by a single day, and the first unanimous recipient since Teemu Selanne in 1993.
If DeBoer wanted a veteran option, they exist. Bo Horvat and Brayden Schenn have both worn a “C” before, and Mathew Barzal, Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech have all been around long enough to merit a look. None of them carry Schaefer’s ceiling.
Whether the letter lands on his sweater in October or a year down the road, the subtext of DeBoer’s comments is impossible to miss: the Islanders already know who they’re building around.
