There is precedent for NY Islanders top pick Matthew Schaefer to delay his NHL debut

The vast majority of No. 1 overall picks play in the NHL the season they are drafted.

Matthew Schaefer doesn't want to be an exception.

The 17-year-old only played only 17 games with the Erie Otters of the OHL last season due to a collarbone injury suffered at the World Junior Championships. He was also one of the youngest players in the NHL Draft and won't turn 18 until September 7th. Those reasons alone make it understandable why some think his development should take precedence over that of juniors for another season or why he should enroll in college and play in the NCAA.

Schaefer doesn't have any interest in either.

“I haven’t thought about [college] at all,” he told reporters after Thursday’s final session. “My goal is to play here on the Island. This is where I want to be. I haven’t thought about anything else. I can’t wait to work hard this summer, so I’m here.”

Schaefer impressed coaches during the team's developmental camp last week. We know that he's a mature young man away from the ice, but he also NHL-level skating ability and good enough size to play minutes at the professional level next season and he still a few more months to add the muscle necessary to tip the odds in his favor of sticking on Long Island.

“If I’m 190 [pounds] but I’m jacked, that’s pretty good. Obviously, I still want to be able to move and be mobile like how I’ve been doing, so we’ll see. Obviously, I want to get back in the gym," he told reporters on Thursday about his summer workout plans.

If the Islanders elect to move more slowly with Schaefer's development, there will be precedent for it, especially with top-pick defensemen. Erik Johnson played a season at the University of Minnesota the year after he was selected by the St. Louis Blues in 2006, and another defenseman, Chris Phillips, played one more season in the WHL with the Lethbridge Hurricanes before starting his career with the Ottawa Senators after being the top pick in 1996.

Both went on to play over 1,000 NHL games.

That may not be what Schaefer wants, but as much as he will do to make the decision an easy one for the Islanders, it'll be up to head coach Patrick Roy, GM Mathieu Darche, and others to decide what's best for the player and organization this season and beyond.