5 highlights from NY Islanders Matthew Schaefer's Spittin' Chiclets interview

Schaefer credits roller blading for his skating ability

"At my high school in Stoney Creek, there’s a sports camp we do every year. All the kids would go to power skating six times a week, always on the ice. But my dad was like, “No, I want you to be a kid. Go to sports camp. Be with your buddies.”

"He said hockey can wait. So I didn’t do much power skating. I’d just be on the rollerblades a lot, skating with my brother, shooting on my mom—she’d put on the pads."

Honestly, I think over time from rollerblading—me and my brother would rollerblade all the time, do mohawks up and down. That helped a lot. I didn’t do a crazy amount of power skating. Maybe a couple times a week, similar to every other kid."

He's not relaxing this summer

"My goal is to be ready to play by the end of the summer. That’s what they heard from me. They told me to go home and relax," said Schaefer. "Training camp was busy. So now it’s about putting on weight and muscle. It’s bigger, stronger, faster guys at that level."

"I’ll be 18 by the time the season starts, but I’m still transforming my body. Still a lot I need to work on. We’ll talk more soon, I think. But for now it’s just getting stronger and enjoying a bit of summer too".

He has a new nickname (maybe)

"Shae-Daddy. I’ll never call him Matthew Schaefer again," said Bissonette. "He’s Shae-Daddy now. I imagine he’s going to be a nasty player based on how good he is at interviews."