No. 1 pick in 2025 Draft lauded as 'wonderful leader;' Hall of Famer top choice in 1973
© Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Fischler, known as “The Hockey Maven,” shares his humor and insight with readers each Wednesday.
The New York Islanders selected Matthew Schaefer with the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Denis Potvin was chosen No. 1 in the 1973 NHL Draft and that became the foundation of a dynasty.
Will Schaefer be a Potvin-type defenseman? It could happen.
“Like Potvin became a pillar on the Islanders blue line, I believe Schaefer could be that type of player,” said TSN director of scouting Craig Button, who was Calgary Flames general manager from 2000 to 2003. “Matthew is a wonderful leader.”
Among those who proudly hailed Schaefer were a bevy of former and present Islanders who attended a Draft Party at UBS Arena on Friday. They included Butch Goring, John Tonelli, Josh Bailey, Mathew Barzal, Casey Cizikas, Ryan Pulock and @ScottScott Mayfield. Among interviews conducted by MSG Network was an added attraction, Islanders superfan and “Karate Kid” star Ralph Macchio.
Potvin’s teammates, Goring and Tonelli, recalled how inconspicuously low-key their draft experience was compared to Schaefer’s flamboyant announcement by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. Goring, an Islanders analyst chosen by the Los Angeles Kings in the fifth round (No. 51) of the 1969 NHL Draft, said he simply got a letter inviting him to training camp.
“In those days, we didn’t even have testing,” Goring said. “Heck, I would have failed all the tests.”
Schaefer on being picked No. 1 by Islanders in 2025 NHL Draft
Tonelli was playing for Houston in the World Hockey Association when he was selected by the Islanders in the second round (No. 33) of the 1977 NHL Draft. He remained with the Aeros until the franchise folded in 1978 and his rights were reclaimed by the Islanders.
“I was drafted behind the great Mike Bossy (No. 15),” Tonelli said.
Barzal, the No. 16 pick of the 2015 NHL Draft, had a pretty good idea who would precede him among the favorites.
“I knew Connor McDavid was going No. 1 and then Jack Eichel,” Barzal said, “but I was pretty comfy in my chair. When I started slipping a bit, I got sweaty and had to check my shirt until I got picked.”
By contrast, Cizikas was attending driving school when he was picked in the fourth round (No. 92) of the 2009 NHL Draft.
“Since I knew the draft was that day,” Cizikas said, “I left my phone on the table and eventually my agent called with the news. And here I am!”
Josh Bailey, chosen No. 9 in the 2008 NHL Draft, had a cautionary note.
“Let’s just remember that Schaefer is just a kid. We should cut him some slack because it (stardom) doesn’t happen overnight.”
Schaefer’s selection has rekindled memories of a melodramatic draft at the Mount Royal Hotel in Montreal on May 15, 1973
“I knew that Denis Potvin was going to be my pick,” Islanders general manager Bill Torrey said back then, “but my Canadiens’ counterpart, Sammy Pollock, made a strong bid to make me change my mind. In the end, his offer of players wasn’t nearly enough to sway me.”
Pollock stunned those in attendance by unexpectedly requesting a timeout in a final attempt to persuade Torrey to make the deal.
“Pollock and Torrey spoke for half-a-minute that seemed like six months to me,” Potvin wrote in his autobiography, “Power on Ice,” published in 1977. “I could see their lips moving, but I couldn’t quite read them. Still, I was certain they had made the trade. Finally, Pollock walked back to his seat and president (Clarence) Campbell returned to the microphone.
“After getting to his feet, Bill stuck out his chin and, in the longest split-second of my life, said, ‘The New York Islanders wish to draft as their first choice — Denis Potvin.’ I swallowed hard, then turned to face a dozen people … the radio, TV and newspaper people who wanted the ‘story.’ It was a marvelous moment for me, and I wanted to spend the rest of the day and night answering their questions.”
NHL Tonight: Matthew Schaefer
Potvin also addressed the media touting him as the next Bobby Orr.
“I was prepared and fielded the question immediately,” he said. “This was my reply, ‘Being compared with Orr is nice but it’s going to put pressure on me in my first year with the Islanders. I know I can cope with it. What I hope is that New York fans can appreciate that playing in the NHL will be a whole new thing for me.’ When the scrum was over, one reporter wrote, ‘He is confident but not cocky.'”
Macchio was 12 when Potvin was drafted. With a nod to the Hockey Hall of Famer, he’s optimistic about Schaefer.
“Heck,” Macchio said, “the last time the Isles picked first overall it was a defenseman, and Potvin eventually helped lead us to win four straight championships.”
Hockey News