SUNRISE, Fla. -- Matthew Schaefer has gone through more tragedy than anyone should have to at any time, let alone as a 17-year-old.
The defenseman lost his mother, Jennifer, after a two-year battle with breast cancer in February, 2024. Two months prior to that, his billet mom, Emily Matson, died in an apparent suicide.
Then in December, Jim Waters, owner of the Erie Otters, his Ontario Hockey League team the past two seasons, died unexpectedly.
Considering all that, being projected to be the No. 1 selection later this month by the New York Islanders at the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft and the pressure that comes with all of that is no big deal.
"My mindset has changed a lot with everything," Schaefer said Monday at Amerant Bank Arena prior to Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers (8 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, CBC). "Just seeing what my mom went through, having a smile on her face with cancer and everything trying to bring her down, but she wouldn't let it bring her down. She's someone I look up to, really strong.
"I wish I was as tough as her. Definitely get my dad's toughness. But yeah, she's someone I always looked up to."
Schaefer had 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) and was plus-21 in 17 games this season with Erie. His season ended when he sustained a fractured clavicle while playing for Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship on Dec. 27, but he was cleared for contact May 1. Schaefer had 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) in 56 games with Erie in 2023-24.