INSPIRE: Matthew Schaefer’s EXCEPTIONAL Debut Powers Islanders Surging Playoff Aspirations

0:00It's the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Matthew Schaefer keeps making news all across the hockey world. We'll talk about what he's done, who's talking about him and the impact he's had on the Islanders this year and beyond. You're Lockdown Islanders, your daily podcast on the New York Islanders, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome everybody to this Wednesday bonus episode of the Lockdown Islanders podcast, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. I want to thank everyone who makes Lockdown Islanders, your first listen every day. Don't forget to subscribe on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts so you never miss an episode. Thank you for helping to make Lockdown the number one sports podcast network.

1:05I'm Gil Martin. I've been covering the New York Islanders for two decades and I wrote the book Ice Wars. The history of the Islanders rivalry with the Rangers from 1972 till the modern era. So glad you could join us today to talk a little Islanders hockey and we have got a lot to get to on this bonus episode. This bonus episode is focused on Matthew Schaefer, the outstanding Islanders rookie. We'll talk about what arguably the greatest hockey player in history had to say about Schaefer. We'll talk about his impact on the Islanders and we'll update the calder trophy race as the NHL's top rookie. Let's start with Matthew Schaefer's impact on the New York Islanders. Right now, Schaefer is one of only two players on the New York Islanders who have scored 20 goals

2:07or more the other. Obviously, Bo Horvat. Keep in mind Schaefer as a defenseman has outscored Matthew Barzall, Anders Lee, Simon Holmstrom, JG Pazzo, Emil Heinemann. He is outscored every player on the New York Islanders except for Bo Horvat. And in points, right now, he's second on the he's second on the team in goals, second on the team in assists, second on the team in total points with 47 in 65 games. He is a plus 13, which has him in a tie with Matthew Barzall, Simon Holmstrom and Ryan Pollock, four tops on the New York Islanders. And those are numbers. And I can give you the numbers that say, yeah, this is, you know, and I can go into the advanced analytics and you know,

3:07talk about creating chances and breaking up chances and, you know, how many shots and goals five on five and all of that stuff. Fine. But let's talk more about some of the things that Matthew Schaefer has done and what he means to the New York Islanders. First of all, the Islanders are now 10 and 0 in games decided in overtime. That's a record. No team has ever accomplished that since the NHL went to three on three over time. There is no way that the Islanders are there without Matthew Schaefer. The speed, the vision, the passing, the desire to go to the net, all the many things that he brings to the table. You wouldn't be there if you had the same

4:08lineup as last year. And let's even say, you know, the Islanders are, as I said, 10 and 0 in games decided in overtime. Let's even just say they go five and five instead of 10 and 0 if Schaefer wasn't on the team. Take away five points from the Islanders. They go from 79 to 74 points. That puts them on the outside looking in in the playoff race right now, not out of it, but just on the outside looking in. And again, that's just the number of points they've earned from overtime. Then I think there's more to it. And I think we've seen it even more after the Olympic break, but I think we've seen it throughout the season. And this is extraordinary

5:10for an 18 year old rookie. Forget the numbers which are extraordinary for an 18 year old rookie. But here's the deal. Schaefer has essentially lifted this team and the veterans on this team to play better hockey. If you were able to watch the game on TNT yesterday against St. Louis and you heard Schaefer miked up and you heard his genuine enthusiasm for the game. I think you also heard the way his teammates react to what he says and does both on the ice and when they're celebrating. I think there is little doubt that Matthew Schaefer's presence has energized this roster. Usually it's the veterans who are trying to get the the rookies to respond

6:13and to mentor them in some ways as far as just attitude and enthusiasm. I think Matthew Schaefer has energized some of the veterans on this roster. I think Ryan Polock and Adam Pelleck, for example, have played better this year in part because they're healthier and in part because of the inspiration of Matthew Schaefer. That he makes them have to step up and do more things because they see what he's capable of doing. And I think there is just a ripple effect across this lineup. I think that the addition of Schaefer has meant that it's impacted Matthew Barsal and we've talked about that prior on the show. Barsal, 18 goals, 60 points and 64 games having one of his better seasons. His plus 13 is very impressive when you consider that 16 of his 60 points this year have come on the

7:17power play. Again, I think Barsal has been helped by having another player on this team in Schaefer who can keep up with him skating-wise, who can create like he can create, who goes to the net, and I think kind of inspires Barsie to go to the net a little more often. All of these things are little subtle factors that show the impact of Matthew Schaefer on the islanders right now. And then let's even get to this. His average time on ice, 24 minutes and 18 seconds is three minutes and 18 seconds more than the next highest islander, which is Ryan Pollock. He is, and in recent weeks, in recent games, especially, let's say, since the Olympic break, he's been on the ice more than

8:22that. Remember, they kind of tried to start him off a little bit slowly the first week or two of the season, since the Olympic break and even before then, Schaefer has been playing 25, 27, a couple of games ago, 29 minutes did not hardly come off the ice in overtime. So I think the impact of Matthew Schaefer, I could probably do three shows in a row only talking about the ripple effect that Schaefer has. I think Patrick Wah has approached the game differently, has played a slightly different style as a result of having Matthew Schaefer available, a little bit more uptempo, a little bit more. Let's go for it. And I think that's the style that Wah always wanted this team to play and his teams to play. But Schaefer actually allows the team to effectively do it,

9:27more often, whereas in previous sets of circumstances, when the team did not have Matthew Schaefer available, then you're talking about a much more tricky situation where he doesn't have the tools to run the system he wanted to run. So the impact of Matthew Schaefer on the New York Islanders has been extraordinary and the beautiful thing about it from a New York Islander's standpoint is that this kid at age 18 has not even come close to reaching his potential. And what he'll be like at 21, at 24, at 27, at 32, if the Islanders can hold on to him and build a franchise around him.

10:29They can have Schaefer be the anchor, the cornerstone of a team that could contend for seven, ten years. The goal that Matthew Darsh laid out of building a contending team that will be like the avalanche, the stars, the lightning, the panthers, a team that's been at or near the top of the league for the better part of a decade. The foundation of that team is Matthew Schaefer and he's on there right now. So looking forward to seeing what this kid can do over time, but so far I have enjoyed every minute of watching Matthew Schaefer grow, play, do his thing, and be the tide that lifts all boats for the New York Islanders. We have more to get to on today's show. We'll talk about what Wayne Gretzky said about Matthew Schaefer, plus the call to race. We've got that and more

11:34on this bonus episode of Lockdown Islanders podcast. Today's episode is brought to you by game time. There's nothing like being in an NBA arena, the crowd, the energy, the moment, getting tickets though, that part hasn't always been so simple. That's why game time has become the go-to app for scoring tickets fast without the hassle. It puts the advantage backward for longs with the fans. I love that you see the all-in price up front. There are no surprise fees. You check out and you got the view from your seat feature. You get a panoramic view from your seat before you buy the tickets and that makes buying the decision easy. Zone deal standout. You choose the section. Game time picks the seats and you save. Take the guesswork out of buying NBA tickets with game time. Just download the game time app, create an account, use code Lockdown for $20 off your first purchase. That's code L-O-C-K-E-D-O-N for $20 off. Download the game time app today and

12:37remember it's gametime.co. Not gametime.com. Today's episode is also brought to you by Quo. Spring is a natural reset point. If there's one thing it can quietly cost businesses money, it's messy communications. Miss Call, scattered text, no clear thread of who said what? That's why today's episode is brought to you by Quo. Spell Q-U-O, the smarter way to run your business communications. Quo is the number one rated business system on G2 with 3,000 reviews trusted by more than 90,000 businesses. It lets your entire team share one business number so you never miss a call, text or opportunity. The part that I love, everything lives in one clean thread, calls, text, voice mail and the whole team sees the conversation so nothing falls through the cracks and the AI summary saves serious time by logging calls and highlighting the next steps automatically. It just makes your business feel more energized and responsive. So make this the season that no

13:41opportunity and no customer slips away. Try Quo for free and get 20% off your first six months at Quo.com slash locked on NHL. That's Q-U-O.com slash locked on NHL. Quo, no missed calls, no missed customers. If you saw the pre-game show before the Islanders game against the Blues on Tuesday and again this was a TNT game you may not have realized that right away because as you may recall you had Brendan in book on the call for TNT so that was a nice double bonus there for Islander fans but Gretzky on the pre-game show said that not only should Matthew Schaefer win the Calder trophy this year but that he should probably get consideration as NHL MVP and you know that's a whole different

14:46animal. Here's what Gretzky had to say. I'm sitting here thinking my goodness with this team B where they are right now without him. What about winning the MVP, the league? That's how good this kid has been. Now I don't agree with Wayne Gretzky that Matthew Schaefer should win the heart trophy. Could he get a few votes? Heart trophy is League MVP? Yes. No question about that. And yet to make him the league MVP when I still think that Ilja Seroken is the Islander's team MVP it's a little bit of a jump. Now I do think that Schaefer will win a heart trophy before his career is over if he continues to stay healthy, continues to develop and the Islander's win consistently during his tenure. I think he is more than capable of doing that. But again Gretzky take a step back

15:52and say would the Islanders be where they are today without Schaefer? I don't think they would be. I think he's spot on about that. And the impact that Matthew Schaefer has made on the New York Islanders is getting national media in the United States and Canada to really take notice of the Islanders. All of a sudden the Islanders want to, you know, networks want the Islanders on TV. All of a sudden the Islanders not because of who they're playing but because they are the Islanders are being discussed in pre-game shows, post-game shows, intermissions, hockey podcasts and new shows. I mean this is an Islanders podcast. So obviously I'm going to talk Islanders but national podcasts that are designed to cover the whole league when I'm doing locked on an HL

16:58and even when other hosts are hosting locked on an HL the Islanders are now a topic of conversation on a fairly regular basis and this doesn't happen without Matthew Schaefer. And just to take it a step further after Wayne Gretzky the athletic again at the three-quarter mark of the season they listed the favorites the top five for the call they're trophy. Matthew Schaefer, the runaway number one, number one on both experts ballots. And here is the quote in the article from the athletic. Matthew Schaefer is to quote the definition of the award, the player most proficient in his first year of competition in the national hockey league. And while it's the record breaking gold

17:59totals that have put it to bed, his impact on the Islanders extends to being among the league leaders in ice time doing it with world class skating and a great head on his shoulders, driving positive impact at both ends. He has single, handedly elevated the Islanders ambitions and even if Ivan Demidov or Beckett Seneca were to go on a 30 and 20 heater and get close to a point per game, Schaefer still probably runs away with the call there. So let there be no doubt who the favorite is for the call their trophy right now. And it's Matthew Schaefer by a landslide. And absolutely deserved by Matthew Schaefer. So look, this bonus episode is not the first time I'm going to talk extensively about Matthew Schaefer on this show. And it won't be the last time I talk

19:04extensively about Matthew Schaefer on this show. All I know is this kid has been absolutely amazing for the New York Islanders and probably is just getting started. And I absolutely love to see it. I'm Joey Erickson of Locked On Stars. In business, there's no room for guesswork. Every shipment matters, every deadline counts. When you're trying to keep operations running smoothly, the last thing you need is uncertainty. That's why reliability is at the core of USPS ground advantage. Each package moves through a secure nationwide network track from dock to door with a affordable upfront pricing and delivery you can depend on because knowing your logistics are handled lets you focus on everything else. Visit usps.com slash ground advantage to start shipping with confidence. USPS official shipping sponsor of the NHL. Folks, if you've been thinking about joining the every day or club, this is the time. You'll get ad free episodes of Locked On Islanders, including our bonus episodes, access to our group chat on Discord. And if you're signed up

20:08before the NCAA tournament tips off, you can get into our every day or club bracket pool on Discord for a chance to win some great Locked On merch. It should be a lot of fun. And right now you can use the code March to get your first month free. So head to locked on islanders.supercast.com or check the link in our show notes for more information. If you have a question, comment maybe a topic you'd like us to discuss on a future episode. You can email us at Locked On Islanders at gmail.com. If you leave your first name and where you're from, we're happy to mention you on the show. When we discuss whatever's on your mind, you can follow the show on X at Locked On Isles. You can follow me Gil Martin on X at Ice Wars, NYR, VSNYI. We'll keep you up to date on all things islanders all year long. And I am live tweeting during nearly every islanders home and road game. So join me for a little instant insight and analysis. And it's great to talk islanders hockey with

21:11you, game time or anytime. We'll be back with our regularly scheduled episode. It goes live on YouTube at midnight. It goes live on audio a few minutes after that. And we'll also have a bonus episode tomorrow. So make sure you look for that as we break down all the latest islanders news notes and happenings. I'm Gil Martin. Thank you so much for watching. Stay safe everybody. And of course, let's go islanders. Hey, everyone. This is Ross Jackson, one of the hosts of the Locked On Podcast Network. Thank you for being here because your support means everything. And if you're looking for another way to support the show that you love, while getting something awesome in return, check out the Every Day or Club. You get ad free episodes of your favorite Locked On Show, access to a member's only group chat for fans of your team. And you can even jump into the national chats and talk about whatever's happening across the league. Tap the Every Day or Club link in the show notes to learn more.