Andrew Gross: Islanders rookie Matthew Schaefer gets much-needed during Olympic break
Islanders' Matthew Schaefer prior to a game against Chicago on Dec. 30, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois. Credit: Getty Images/Michael Reaves
Sure, Matthew Schaefer had a case of Olympic FOMO.
What Canadian hockey player wouldn’t have wanted to play for Team Canada? Especially one with the Islanders defenseman’s credentials and talent, even if he is an 18-year-old rookie. Especially after making a list of candidates.
But one of this particular teenager’s superpowers is his advanced maturity. And Schaefer knows the time spent resting his body from the rigors of the NHL schedule and the mental reset he got from just hanging with his lifelong buddies was time well spent.
Ultimately, time better spent than playing in the Olympics.
“Like you feel this FOMO because everyone wants to play in the Olympics, everyone wants to play for their country. It would be a dream come true,” Schaefer told Newsday as the Islanders resumed practicing this week at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow. “I’m still young. This is my first year and I’m playing a lot more games than I was in the past. So it’s so good for my body and my mind. It’s just a good reset.”
Schaefer has played in all 58 of the Islanders’ games after being limited to 17 junior hockey games last season between illness and a broken collarbone, which he injured playing for Team Canada in the World Junior Championships.
“I think it will be good,” coach Patrick Roy said of Schaefer’s down time. “Recharge and come back here and reflect on how the first 58 games were and what can he do a little bit better and what he’s been doing so well.
“He does video almost every game. He’s a person that wants to learn. He’s a person that wants to be better. I really like the dedication that he has and that will to improve his game even if he’s had so much success so far.”
Schaefer spent part of the Olympic break back home in Ontario with his father Todd hanging with his friends and spending time with his girlfriend. He even found time to get behind the bench and help coach an under-11 squad that included the little brother of one of his friends.
Todd Schaefer said before the Olympics in an interview with CBC he thought not playing in the Olympics would be beneficial to his son.
“He’s climbing these mountains. Does he really need to climb this one at 18?” Todd Schaefer said. “Can we wait a few years? There’s nothing wrong with having three weeks off to come home and be an 18-year-old kid.”
“My dad’s very strong in that,” Matthew Schaefer said. “Obviously he’d love for me to be at the Olympics. But he has a strong belief in being a kid, too, being able to go home and see my friends.”
It’s that group of friends, some of whom Schaefer has known since kindergarten, who help Schaefer stay grounded and humble despite being the No. 1 overall pick and having instant success with the Islanders.
“They treat me how I should be treated,” Schaefer said. “They don’t give a [darn] about what I do. They don’t care who I am. They treat me normal, which is what I want and what I like. They still treat me like just Matthew, not the hockey player Matthew.”
The season resumes Thursday in Montreal. Schaefer needs two goals to surpass Hall of Famer Phil Housley’s 17 for the most by an 18-year-old defenseman.
It’s time to get back to being hockey player Matthew.
The time off helped, even if it came with FOMO.
Cizikas: Keep playing
Casey Cizikas just chuckled this week when Newsday asked the fourth-line center, who turns 35 on Friday, how many more NHL seasons he thinks are still in him.
“My wife seems to tell me that [I have more],” Cizikas said. “She keeps telling me that. That’s the goal. You want to play as long as you can. It’s not an easy thing to do. You see guys come and go all the time. At the same time, I’ve got to focus on what I need to do for myself and what I need to do that puts me in the best position at the start of every season.”
Cizikas, in his 15th NHL season, all with the Islanders, has one season remaining on his six-year, $15 million deal.
Romanov skating
Alexander Romanov resumed skating this week on his own, the first time the physical defenseman has been on ice since injuring his right shoulder on Nov. 18 in Dallas and was lost for the remainder of the regular season.
But general manager Mathieu Darche has indicated Romanov might be able to return at some point in the playoffs if the Islanders advance past the first round.
This is a good first step.
“It’s great,” Roy said. “You could see in his face, he’s excited about practicing on his own and taking some shots. It’s been a while. He wants to take some shots. It’s a long injury and he’s going to have to be patient. We have a really good staff. I’m sure they’re going to take care of him and he’ll be fine.”
Romanov, 26, is in the first season of an eight-year, $50 million deal. The Islanders brought up several temporary replacements from their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport, including Laurel Hollow’s Marshall Warren, before Darche acquired Carson Soucy from the Rangers on Jan. 26.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
