{"id":31700,"date":"2025-09-05T07:21:02","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T11:21:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/sin-categoria\/schaefer-ready-with-islanders-ncaa-changes-and-young-nhl-prospects\/"},"modified":"2025-09-05T07:21:02","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T11:21:02","slug":"schaefer-ready-with-islanders-ncaa-changes-and-young-nhl-prospects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/nhl\/schaefer-ready-with-islanders-ncaa-changes-and-young-nhl-prospects\/","title":{"rendered":"Schaefer ready with Islanders, NCAA changes and young NHL prospects"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>NHL Young Prospects: A Look at the Future of Hockey<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>The NHLPA&#8217;s annual rookie event offers a clear perspective on the youth of prospects, especially when considering the history of hockey. This year, the new promises demonstrate a mix of admiration for legends and ambition to make their own mark.<\/p>\n\n\nMontreal Canadiens prospect David Reinbacher expresses his desire to emulate Brock Faber, the Minnesota Wild defenseman who was a finalist for the 2024 Rookie of the Year award. Matthew Schaefer, the New York Islanders&#8217; first overall pick in this year&#8217;s draft, talks about his coach Patrick Roy&#8217;s career as if it were from another era.\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cYes, I heard he loves to win. I heard he was very good in his day. Everyone loves to talk about him,\u201d Schaefer said about Roy, who won four Stanley Cups, three playoff MVP awards, and 551 games, which is third all-time.<\/p><cite>Matthew Schaefer<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\nSchaefer recalls visiting the offices of Upper Deck, the collectibles company that co-organized the event, and seeing images of his new coach&#8217;s past as a generational goalkeeper.\n\nRoy is entering his third season as Islanders coach and his sixth season overall as an NHL coach. Schaefer said he has enjoyed their offseason conversations, but he is ready to see the training camp side of his new coach.\n\nSchaefer, who was selected by the Islanders after playing 73 games with the Erie Otters of the OHL in the last two seasons, where he proved to be an elite passer and puck carrier, signed his NHL entry-level contract in August.\n\nThe Islanders haven&#8217;t hesitated to market Schaefer, including a ticket sales deal that incorporated his number 48. But he takes nothing for granted, whether it&#8217;s making the roster or playing in the lineup in his rookie season.\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cYou don&#8217;t get things for free, 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&#8217;s what I&#8217;m going to do in training camp,\u201d he said.<\/p><cite>Matthew Schaefer<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\nIf he makes the team, Schaefer would easily be the youngest player on an Islanders roster that features more than a dozen players over the age of 30. But Schaefer is comfortable with that age disparity. He has an older brother who is nine years older than him, which, according to him, helps with communication. But he also won&#8217;t hesitate to seek guidance from his older teammates.\n\nHe also knows that there are some expectations for a player of his age from his older teammates.\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cMaybe I have to take care of [his kids] or something,\u201d he said with a smile. \u201cI mean, I wouldn\u2019t mind\u201d<\/p><cite>Matthew Schaefer<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New NCAA Eligibility Rules<\/h2>\n\n\nKarsen Dorwart, a prospect for the Philadelphia Flyers, admits to feeling some envy. 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.\n\nFor decades, that opportunity wasn&#8217;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.\n\nThat all 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 &#8220;paid more than actual and necessary expenses as part of that participation&#8221;.\n\nPlayers like Dorwart no longer had the binary option of Canadian junior hockey or NCAA hockey. That has already led to a landscape-altering moment in college hockey, as Gavin McKenna, the consensus pick for the first overall selection in the 2026 NHL draft, left the WHL&#8217;s Medicine Hat Tigers after three seasons to sign with Penn State University with a NIL deal &#8220;in the range of&#8221; $700,000.\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a4.espncdn.com\/combiner\/i?img=%2Fmedia%2Fmotion%2F2025%2F0708%2Fdm_250708_Gavin_commitment_psu%2Fdm_250708_Gavin_commitment_psu.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n\n\nDescription: 1:08Top NHL prospect Gavin McKenna announces PSU commitmentGavin McKenna joins &#8220;SportsCenter&#8221; to announce his official commitment to Penn State University.\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cA guy like Gavin McKenna making that jump to play in college is a big step,\u201d said Minnesota Wild defenseman Zeev Buium, who played at the University of Denver. \u201cI think everyone gets better. You\u2019re getting guys from everywhere and now you can get anyone you want. I think that makes all of college hockey better.\u201d<\/p><cite>Zeev Buium<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\nBen Danford, a defensive prospect for the Toronto Maple Leafs, said the NCAA&#8217;s eligibility ruling &#8220;changed the game for sure&#8221; for both college hockey and the CHL, where he played for the Oshawa Generals. &#8220;We&#8217;ll have to see what happens. I feel like maybe the OHL will get a little younger,&#8221; he said.\n\nIn general, NHL prospects were more intrigued by the migration of players from Canadian junior leagues to the NCAA.\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cI think the NCAA is a tough league. It&#8217;s a physical league. So I&#8217;m really excited to see how those guys can adapt to it,\u201d said St. Louis Blues forward Jimmy Snuggerud, who attended the University of Minnesota.<\/p><cite>Jimmy Snuggerud<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\nDorwart 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.\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cNow you have all the best players in college. I have to meet some of the new CHL guys at Michigan State, and they are super excited and it will be great for everyone&#8217;s development,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it&#8217;s something I envy. I think it would have been fun to play in my hometown growing up.\u201d<\/p><cite>Karsen Dorwart<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n<h2>Rule for 19-Year-Old Players in the AHL<\/h2>\n\nAnother significant change in player development is on the horizon, if the NHL and the CHL can reach an agreement.\n\nIn 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 first offer that player to his Canadian junior team.\n\nThe 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.\n\nThe new CBA will come into effect next September. While other rule changes were fast-tracked for this season, the earliest the &#8220;19-year-old&#8221; rule would be implemented is the 2026-27 season, according to an NHL source. Once again, that is pending the NHL and CHL agreeing to modify the &#8220;mandatory return rule&#8221; for players.\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cHonestly, I&#8217;ve been very curious about that rule,\u201d said Berkly Catton, a 19-year-old center prospect for the Seattle Kraken who played for the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL. \u201cHonestly, from now on, all I can do is go to camp, have a good camp, and force their hand. But that AHL rule would be great.\u201d<\/p><cite>Berkly Catton<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\nZayne Parekh of the Calgary Flames is happy that the AHL rule hasn&#8217;t been fast-tracked for this season.\n\nParekh, 19, is considered the Flames&#8217; 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. According to his point of view, having the &#8220;mandatory return rule&#8221; puts pressure on Calgary to add him to the roster this season.\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cI think it\u2019s good not having it because I\u2019m really going to get a good opportunity to make the NHL team,\u201d he said. \u201cMaybe it benefits me, maybe it doesn\u2019t, but it all depends on my camp. The opportunity is there. It\u2019s about taking advantage of it.\u201d<\/p><cite>Zayne Parekh<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\nParekh is exactly the type of prospect the NHL is considering when looking to change the &#8220;mandatory return rule.&#8221; He had 107 points in 61 games with the Saginaw Spirit last season, recording back-to-back 33-goal campaigns. Even if the Flames believe he isn&#8217;t ready for a regular role in the NHL, dominating another season in the junior leagues wouldn&#8217;t benefit him as much as playing against professional talent in the AHL.\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cSometimes you&#8217;ve done what you&#8217;re supposed to do in the junior leagues. That kind of in-between ground could be nice if you need to develop a little more,\u201d Catton said.<\/p><cite>Berkly Catton<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\nSeattle&#8217;s prospect was reminded of the significant jump in competition when he attended the Kraken&#8217;s training camp last season, which was one of the reasons he focused on strength training in the offseason.\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cThese guys are men. It&#8217;s not a 16-year-old kid going into a battle for the puck. It&#8217;s a guy with kids and stuff, but somehow you have to come out with the puck,\u201d Catton said.<\/p><cite>Berkly Catton<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">NHL Uniform Trends<\/h2>\n\n\nEach year, the NHLPA rookie event offers a first look at the NHL uniform redesigns for the upcoming season.\n\nSnuggerud wore the new St. Louis Blues uniform, which brings back the original color scheme from their 1967 sweaters.\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cThey are very blue\u201d, said Snuggerud.<\/p><cite>Jimmy Snuggerud<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n(Well, it&#8217;s the Blues).\n\nMeanwhile, Tij Iginla donned the new home uniform of the Utah Mammoth, which features the team&#8217;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.\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cI really like it. I think it\u2019s a super fierce logo. One of the coolest in the league,\u201d said Iginla, who was drafted sixth overall in 2024. \u201cSo it\u2019s super, super cool to wear it for the first time.\u201d<\/p><cite>Tij Iginla<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\nIginla followed the drama of his team&#8217;s brand last year, even when everyone in the NHL believed the team would be called the Utah Yeti.\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cI thought Yeti would have been great, but I like both. I don&#8217;t think they could have gone wrong,\u201d he said. \u201cI&#8217;m happy with the Mammoth.\u201d<\/p><cite>Tij Iginla<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n<h2>The Design and Fame<\/h2>\n\nBeckett Sennecke, 19, was drafted third overall by the Anaheim Ducks in 2024. The winger played last season for the Oshawa Generals of the OHL, accumulating 86 points in 56 games.\n\nHe&#8217;s on his way to becoming an NHL player. Perhaps then it will be him who is recognized at the airport instead of his mother.\n\nSennecke is Candice Olson&#8217;s son. In 1994, after playing for the Canadian national volleyball team, Olson started her own interior design firm in Toronto. Seven years later, she joined the burgeoning home improvement television movement with her show &#8220;Divine Design,&#8221; which aired on W Network in Canada and HGTV in the U.S. She would then host other shows and serve as a judge on HGTV&#8217;s reality competition show &#8220;Design Star&#8221; until 2011.\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cShe had a TV show in the past called &#8216;Candice Tells All&#8217; or something like that. She went in and redid the interiors of houses and then made a TV show about it. I guess it was pretty popular in its day,\u201d Sennecke said.<\/p><cite>Beckett Sennecke<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\nHer fame as an HGTV star predated Sennecke&#8217;s formative years. Therefore, her friends weren&#8217;t really aware that she had a famous mother.\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cNo, it was an older program. It was more like people at the airport approaching her and saying, &#8216;\u00a1Oh, it&#8217;s Candice!&#8217; She gets that probably once or twice a year now,\u201d he said.<\/p><cite>Beckett Sennecke<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\nSennecke said he couldn&#8217;t help but have an aesthetically pleasing home while growing up: his father is an architect.\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cIt&#8217;s like a double whammy. If I don&#8217;t have a nice house&#8230; I don&#8217;t know,\u201d he said. \u201cBut yes, they certainly did a good job.\u201d<\/p><cite>Beckett Sennecke<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\nSo, along with the pressure of making it to the NHL someday, there&#8217;s the added pressure of eventually buying his first house as the son of an architect and a former &#8220;Design Star&#8221; judge.\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cI&#8217;m sure my mom will be all over the interior and stuff,\u201d he said. \u201cEspecially the lighting. That&#8217;s her biggest thing. Whenever there&#8217;s bad lighting, she&#8217;s always disgusted with it.\u201d<\/p><cite>Beckett Sennecke<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NHL Young Prospects: A Look at the Future of Hockey The NHLPA&#8217;s annual rookie event offers a clear perspective on the youth of prospects, especially when considering the history of hockey. This year, the new promises demonstrate a mix of admiration for legends and ambition to make their own mark. Montreal Canadiens prospect David Reinbacher [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31701,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[8326,2792,454,1113],"class_list":{"0":"post-31700","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-ahl","9":"tag-ncaa","10":"tag-nhl","11":"tag-prospects"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31700"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31700\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}