Mike Sullivan coached surefire Hall of Famers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin for several years in Pittsburgh, so he knows a budding NHL star when he sees one.
The Rangers’ first-year head coach dropped that term on Islanders rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer — the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft — before Saturday’s rivalry visit to UBS Arena.
“I think he’s a really exciting player to watch. I can imagine he’s only going to get better. He’s an emerging star,” Sullivan said before the second meeting between the New York teams this season. “I think the biggest thing that jumps out at me when I watch him is just his ability to skate.
“He’s a one-man breakout. He’s very active in the rush, but he also has the ability to catch the attack when he gets involved in the rush, which is a great asset, a great attribute to have as a defenseman. He’s one of, I think, the more exciting young players there is in the league to watch. And I’m sure the Islanders are really excited about him. I would be if he was on my team.”
The 18-year-old Schaefer is considered the first-half favorite to win the Calder Trophy for the NHL’s top rookie this season. The Ontario native already has registered nine goals — including five on the power play — and 24 points in his first 37 professional games, although he’d scored just once over his final 12 appearances ahead of the league’s Christmas break.
Schaefer also is leading the Islanders in ice time despite his rookie status with 23:40 per game, and Sullivan has been impressed by the poise he’s displayed at the start of his career.
The rookie logged 24:16 of ice-time in his Garden debut in a 5-0 win over the Rangers in November.
“I just think that speaks to his intelligence as a player,” Sullivan added. “I know I’m a big football fan, so I use this analogy all the time: but sometimes the best quarterbacks throw the ball in the stands.
“I think as a defenseman, sometimes less is more, in particular playing that position, and not forcing plays that aren’t there, feeding the team’s transition game. A lot of teams play half the rink or three-quarters of the rink, and the decisions that you make, I think as a defenseman, are really important in critical areas of the rink with respect to that. So I just think it speaks to his intelligence for the game.”
Braden Schneider has been filling in throughout December for injured No. 1 defenseman Adam Fox on the Rangers’ top pair while the former Norris Trophy winner has been sidelined with an upper-body issue.
The 24-year-old Schneider believes Schaefer has been “so impressive” in how he’s handled all of the duties that go along with that role.
“Obviously the speed jumps out at you and his ability to move the puck, but you can see the maturity that he has, especially with all of the responsibility they are throwing at him right away,” Schneider said. “That’s a lot on his plate at that age and he seems to be handling all of it very well.
“It’s not an easy position to just jump right into at this level, at any age. To see what he’s been doing at 18 has been really special.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
