A day after lifting the Islanders to an exciting overtime victory over the Maple Leafs, rookie sensation Matthew Schaefer was garnering praise from one of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks.
Tom Brady.
In a video posted to the athletics company Nobull’s Instagram account, the seven-time Super Bowl champion said Schaefer “has that eye of the tiger” after a person off-screen asked Brady what NHL player he’d want to sign to be a part of the sportswear brand.
“One player right now?” he starts off asking while sporting a hoodie with the brand’s name on it, along with a backwards hat and sunglasses. “You know, I talked to this kid Matthew. This young guy. He kind of has that eye of the tiger, that look that I always had. Matthew Schaefer, you heard of him? That’s who I want.”
Brady is the second-largest shareholder in Nobull, behind St. John’s booster Mike Repole, after merging his TB12 wellness brand and his Brady apparel brand with the company in 2024.
The release of the video came a day after Schaefer once again showed what a special player he is developing into on Long Island, scoring two goals against the Leafs in highlight-reel fashion.
Schaefer, who is all of 18-years-old, has been everything and more the team could have hoped for when they took him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft last June.
The Hamilton, Ontario native has scored 12 goals and recorded 16 assists for 28 points in his first 42 games of his NHL career.
Schaefer is third among all rookies in goals and points, and he is tied for third in goals among all NHL defenseman.
His play has been so good this year that he worked his way into the conversation for the Canadian Olympic roster, ultimately being left off of it when it was announced on Dec. 31.
Schaefer earned the praise of American hockey star Auston Matthews after the Isles defeated the Leafs on Saturday night 4-3 in overtime, with the 2016 first overall pick calling the defender the “real deal.”
“You definitely get an up-front, close view of just his speed and the size and the pace that he plays with,” Matthews told reporters. “He’s a great player. He’s going to be a really, really good player here in this league for a long time.”
John Tavares, who had once been dubbed as the Islanders’ savior after being picked first overall in 2009 and later departed the organization in 2018 during free agency for Toronto, called Schaefer a “stud” in a conversation with The Hockey News.
Thus far, Schaefer’s star has shone bright during his rookie season, earning plenty of praise from around hockey and now beyond.
Islanders fans are surely hoping that the recognition from Brady, who led the Patriots and Buccaneers to Super Bowl titles during his 23-year NFL career, is an omen that Schaefer will help lead the Isles to future success.
