New York Islanders star rookie Matthew Schaefer’s impressive start in the NHL is capturing the attention of the Canadian national team. The 18-year-old has reportedly been added to the Olympic drug-testing protocol, making him eligible to join Team Canada for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina this February.
Even being considered for Team Canada is remarkable for a talent that has spent less than two months in the NHL. Schaefer already seems like a natural, with seven goals and eight assists (15 points) in his first 20 career games. He’s currently the highest-scoring defenseman in the league, more impressive being a Hamilton, ON native.
Last week, Schaefer became the youngest player in NHL history to score an overtime-winning goal (18 years, 70 days) against the Utah Mammoth on Nov. 14. Moreover, he’s the youngest defenseman in league history with a multi-goal game on Nov. 2 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Canada’s defense roster is notably crowded, having featured stars like Cale Makar, Josh Morrissey, Colton Parayko, Travis Sanheim, Shea Theodore, Devon Toews, and Drew Doughty, who replaced Alex Pietrangelo due to injury, at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. Other potential players include Thomas Harley, Thomas Chabot, Evan Bouchard, and Jakob Chychrun.
However, Schaefer’s significant international experience includes winning gold at the World Hockey Championships with the U17 national team, followed by victories at the World Juniors and Hinka Gretzky Cup with the U18 squad. He was on the U20 squad at last year’s World Juniors, appearing in two games due to injury.
This marks the first time since 2014 that NHL players will participate in the Olympic Games. The men’s tournament will begin with preliminary games on Feb. 11 and conclude with the gold-medal game on Feb. 22.
For more on Matthew Schaefer and the Islanders, visit AMNY.com.
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