On day one of New York Islanders training camp, head coach Patrick Roy made it clear he’s been impressed with rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer.
“Obviously it was Schaefer’s first day, but he seemed like he was really open to getting input from everybody out there,” Roy said. “That’s the person he is. Am I surprised? Not at all. He’s a quality person, and he just wants to learn. When you’re saying things that make sense, he’s smart enough to use it. I was very impressed with him today.”
Roy noted that pairing the 18-year-old with veteran Scott Mayfield could pay dividends immediately.