Matthew Schaefer’s rise with the New York Islanders has come fast, and so has the spotlight around everything he does away from the rink. At 19, he has already collected major hardware, earned a place in the team’s leadership group and built a reputation for giving back in a way that feels deeply personal.
That side of Schaefer has been shaped by loss. He has spoken openly about losing his mother, Jennifer, to breast cancer in 2024, after also losing his billet mom, Emily Matson. Those experiences sit behind much of the charitable work he’s taken on, and they help explain why so many people around him describe him as wise beyond his years.
Patrick Morris, a Smilezone Foundation board member and Schaefer’s agent, recalled the first time he met Jennifer. She had heard he liked chocolate chip cookies, and she showed up to his office with a homemade batch.
"He gets his personality from his dad and his mom,” Morris said. "His mom was a wonderful lady with a great soul, and he gets that part from his mom … He just has a heart of giving that comes from his parents, and he conveys it in such a natural way.”
Schaefer has spent the past few years making room for that giving spirit wherever he can. His volunteer work has included time with the Smilezone Foundation, NHLPA, Northwell Health, The Big Assist, WNY Compassion Connection and the CIBC Run for the Cure, along with an appearance at a local summer camp.
For Schaefer, the message is simple: how you treat people matters as much as what you do on the ice at UBS Arena.
"No matter what you’re doing in life, I think the biggest thing that people remember about you is if you’re a good person and if you treat others the way you want to be treated,” Schaefer said. "You never know when people are going to need someone to talk to, and people go through a lot in life … It’s nice for me to give back to the community.”
He also said his age helps him connect naturally with kids, which is part of why these efforts feel so comfortable for him.
"I am freshly 19, and I definitely still show a lot of kidlike attributes … I feel like it’s super easy for me to talk to kids. I think just being able to be hopefully a younger role model is what I strive to be for kids and people that are going through rough times," Schaefer also said.
The NHLPA has taken notice, too. Its Goals & Dreams program is designed to support grassroots hockey programs that help youth play and grow the game, and the association has said Schaefer is already among the league’s top contributors in terms of community impact, even though he is only in his second NHL season.
NHLPA Executive Director Marty Walsh praised what he has seen from Schaefer off the ice.
"I’m impressed with a lot of what Matthew has done off the ice. He’s a very mature young man and he’s really settled into his role as a leader in the NHL and the Players Association in a big way,” said Walsh.
"The fact that he is so willing to give back in so many different places is amazing. It's great to watch and see a young guy like that, that's just so enthused about it too.”
Walsh went even further when talking about Schaefer’s future.
"He's going to be a true leader on the ice for a long time. He's going to be a true leader in the community for a long time,” Walsh said without hesitation.
Smilezone’s mission has been to turn ordinary waiting rooms, treatment rooms and patient care rooms into bright, comforting spaces for children and families in hospitals and medical facilities. By the end of 2026, the foundation expects to have transformed more than 600 smilezones since its founding in 2012.
Morris has been with the foundation since the beginning, joining its board in 2012. He said the push to get Schaefer more involved actually started with Schaefer himself, and now the Islanders defenseman serves as both an official board member and a special ambassador for Smilezone.
Schaefer also works regularly with Northwell Health, where he supports cancer patients and their families. Northwell is set to open the "Jennifer Schaefer Child Support Center" with help from a $150,000 donation from the Islanders Children’s Foundation.
On the ice, Schaefer’s résumé keeps growing just as quickly. He was a unanimous choice for the Calder Trophy, receiving all 198 ballots, and became the youngest player ever to win it after an 18-year-old season in which he tied Brian Leetch’s record for the most goals by a rookie defenseman.
He has also been named an Alternate Captain for the Islanders ahead of the 2026-27 season, joining Brayden Schenn, Kyle Palmieri and Ryan Pulock in the leadership group alongside captain Bo Horvat.
For Schaefer, the two sides of his life are connected, even if he keeps them separate in his own mind.
"[My work] just puts life into perspective,” Schaefer said on balancing success both on and off the ice. "When I’m playing hockey, I’m playing hockey. But when I’m away from the rink, I like to be away from the rink.”
And for all the hockey milestones still ahead, he says the work with charity remains central.
"Charity work means so much to me, giving back to the community and people in need,” Schaefer said. "When I get to do it, obviously my mom would be right there with me … and I know she’s always doing it with me in spirit and she’d be proud of what me and [my family] are doing.”
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