Matthew Schaefer is going full steam ahead.
The Islanders’ No. 1 overall pick signed his three-year entry-level deal on Monday, with the announcement coming as Schaefer stepped out to the Citi Field mound to throw the first pitch ahead of the Mets-Guardians game.
According to PuckPedia, Schaefer will receive the full complement of performance bonuses as part of his deal, which carries a $975,000 cap hit. His total salary could be as high as $4.475 million after bonuses.
Signing the contract means that Schaefer cannot go to college next season, though the defenseman had downplayed any possibility he would do so. If he does not make the Islanders — or if he plays nine games and the team opts not to use up a year of his deal — that means the only option would be for him to go back to OHL Erie, as he cannot play in the AHL either.
That, all parties agree, is not especially likely.
Barring something unforeseen in training camp, Schaefer will surely start the season, and end the season, with the Islanders.
“Feels amazing,” Schaefer said. “Honestly it’s something I’ve wanted to do my whole life. To do it your first year, there’s still a lot of work, but this was my dream. I want to play in the NHL this season. I wanted to really badly. I know there’s gonna be a lot of hard work that comes with it, but I think I’m ready.”
Schaefer, who turns 18 in September, answered a question about cutting off the college option by saying, simply, that he wanted to play in the NHL.
“Obviously other people always asked me, where do you want to go? For me, I was so dialed in on wanting to play in the NHL,” he said. “When I set goals for [myself], I work as hard as I can so I can get to that point and like I said, there’s still lots of work.
“I’m gonna be going home [to Stoney Creek, Ontario], I’m gonna be training with NHL guys. There’s still lots that I’m gonna learn with everything. I just can’t wait to get to work and get to main camp with all the guys on the team and work hard, try to get my spot.”
When he gets to Islanders camp, Schaefer will likely be competing with Isaiah George and Adam Boqvist for the sixth and seventh defense spots.
Schaefer took part in competitive games last week with Team Canada at the World Junior Summer Showcase in Minneapolis, his first time doing so since getting hurt at World Junior Championships last December.
Though he’s unlikely to play at World Juniors again this season — if he’s with the Islanders, he can’t — things all went well at the showcase.
“It was so good to get back in game situations and play in that game,” Schaefer said. “You can only practice for so long until you want to play games. To get in the games, that’s what you want to do, that’s what you want to do all season, you want to win and win. It was good to get those reps in.”
Monday, when he threw the first pitch out at the Mets game after signing his first NHL contract at UBS Arena, was pretty great too.
“I think I could work on the pitch a bit,” Schaefer joked, having fired it high and wide. “Got a little bit nervous going up, just wanted to get it in the glove, even if it was a ball or a strike. I’m competitive, though, so if there’s ever a next time, right down the middle as hard as I can.”
