NHL Prospects: Schaefer ready for Islanders, NCAA changes and more

NHL Young Prospects: A Look at the Future of Hockey

The recent NHLPA rookie showcase offered a fascinating perspective on the youth of the new hockey prospects, especially when compared to the history of this sport. The young talents, with their aspirations and references, give us an idea of the constant evolution of the league. David Reinbacher, a prospect for the Montreal Canadiens, mentions Brock Faber, the defenseman for the Minnesota Wild who was runner-up for the Rookie of the Year award in 2024, as his role model. On the other hand, Matthew Schaefer, the first overall pick for the New York Islanders in this year’s draft, talks about his coach, Patrick Roy’s career, as if it were something from the past.

“I heard he loves to win. I heard he was very good in his day. Everyone loves to talk about him,” Schaefer commented on Roy.

Matthew Schaefer

Schaefer remembers visiting the offices of Upper Deck, the collectibles company that co-organized the event, and seeing images of his new coach’s former life as a legendary goalie. Roy is in his third season coaching the Islanders and his sixth season overall as an NHL coach. Schaefer looks forward to training with his new coach. Schaefer, selected by the Islanders after 73 games with the Erie Otters of the OHL, proved to be an excellent passer and a player with great skill in carrying the puck. He signed his NHL entry-level contract in August. The Islanders have promoted Schaefer, even with a ticket sales offer that incorporated his number 48. However, the player takes nothing for granted, not even securing a spot on the roster or playing on the top lines during his rookie season.

“You don’t take things for granted, do you? You have to earn it. You have to earn your place. I still have to earn my place on the team and that’s what I’m going to do in camp,” he affirmed.

Matthew Schaefer

If he makes the team, Schaefer would easily be the youngest player on an Islanders roster with more than a dozen players over the age of 30. However, he is comfortable with that age difference. He has a brother nine years older than him, which helps with communication. Also, he won’t hesitate to seek guidance from his older teammates. Karsen Dorwart, a prospect for the Philadelphia Flyers, admits to feeling a bit envious. Dorwart was signed as an NCAA free agent after playing three years at Michigan State. He grew up in Oregon and was a big fan of the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League. For decades, that opportunity wasn’t available to young players like Dorwart. The NCAA considered anyone who played in the Canadian Hockey League ineligible for college hockey, because those junior leagues have players who have signed professional contracts with NHL teams and because CHL players earned a monthly stipend. That changed last November, when the NCAA Division I council voted to make CHL players eligible for NCAA Division I hockey starting this season. The council ruled that players can compete in the CHL, which comprises the WHL, the Ontario Hockey League, and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, without jeopardizing their eligibility for NCAA Division I hockey, as long as they are not “paid more than actual and necessary expenses as part of that participation”. Players like Dorwart no longer had the binary option of Canadian junior hockey or NCAA hockey. That has already led to a moment that has changed the landscape of college hockey, as Gavin McKenna, the consensus choice for the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL draft, left the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers after three seasons to sign with Penn State University.

Zeev Buium, defenseman for the Minnesota Wild, said the NCAA eligibility rule “completely changed the game.” Ben Danford, defensive prospect for the Toronto Maple Leafs, said the NCAA eligibility rule “certainly changed the game” for both college hockey and the CHL, where he played for the Oshawa Generals. Dorwart believes the eligibility rule change is excellent for NCAA hockey, even if for him it could have meant more time as a Winterhawk in Portland than as a Spartan at Michigan State. Another significant change in player development is on the horizon, if the NHL and CHL can come to an agreement. In the new NHL and NHLPA collective bargaining agreement, there is a provision for teams to loan a 19-year-old player to their AHL farm team without the requirement to offer that player back to their Canadian junior team first. The current rules state that a player drafted from the CHL must be at least 20 years old or have played at least four full seasons in the CHL to be eligible for the AHL. The new CBA will come into effect next September. While other rule changes were fast-tracked for this season, the earliest the “19-year-old” rule would be implemented is the 2026-27 season, according to an NHL source. Again, that is pending the NHL and CHL agreeing to amend the “mandatory return rule” for players. Berkly Catton, a 19-year-old center prospect for the Seattle Kraken, showed interest in the rule. Zayne Parekh of the Calgary Flames is happy that the AHL rule hasn’t been fast-tracked for this season. Parekh, 19, is considered the Flames’ top prospect and one of the best offensive defensemen on the rise in the NHL. He made his NHL debut at the end of last season, scoring a goal in his only game. The way he sees it, having the “mandatory return rule” puts pressure on Calgary to add him to the roster this season.

“I think it’s good not to have it because I’m really going to get a good chance to get on the NHL team,” he said.

Zayne Parekh

Parekh is exactly the type of prospect the NHL is considering when trying to change the “mandatory return rule”. He had 107 points in 61 games with the Saginaw Spirit last season, recording consecutive seasons of 33 goals. Even if the Flames believe he is not ready for a regular role in the NHL, having him dominate another season in the minor leagues would not benefit him as much as playing against professional talent in the AHL. Each year, the NHLPA Rookie Showcase offers a first look at NHL uniform redesigns for the upcoming season. Tij Iginla sported the new home uniform of the Utah Mammoth, showcasing the team’s official colors: Rock Black, Mountain Blue, and Salt White. Iginla said he likes the new logo of the former Utah Hockey Club, which combines a local mountain range, a mammoth head, and U-shaped tusks. Beckett Sennecke, 19, was drafted in the third position by the Anaheim Ducks in 2024. The winger played last season for the Oshawa Generals of the OHL, scoring 86 points in 56 games. Sennecke is Candice Olson’s son. In 1994, after playing on the Canadian national volleyball team, Olson started her own interior design firm in Toronto. Seven years later, she joined the home improvement television boom with her show “Divine Design,” which aired on W Network in Canada and HGTV in the United States. She would go on to host other shows and serve as a judge on the HGTV reality competition show “Design Star” until 2011.