D Matt Schaefer - Erie Otters, OHL (2025 Draft)

[red devil]

 

[wetcoast]

WARNING - thread derailment: Hagens is also the third best player on his own line and a lot of those assists you tout look to me like simple passes any 18 years old prospect could make to superior talents, while his only goal so far was on a play my mother could have finished.

Obviously we knew coming into this season and after watching Hagens demolish the U18s that his playmaking is elite, but these are the majority of the assists he has this year you’re crowing about:







^ saw this posted in the Hagens thread as some kind of spectacular pass…Perrault was sitting wide open 40 feet away with no defenseman within 5 feet





Tapped to Perrault for ENG on November 1.











TL;DR he’s collected almost all of his points on absolutely empty plays. Seriously, he has like one actually remotely impressive assist:

Dude I respect you and your posts so I regret to say that your post is just in bad taste here and I have Schaefer as #1 for the draft this year.

 

[Fantomas]

I am dreaming of a young Blackhawks blueline anchored by Schaefer, Levshunov, Korchinski, Kaiser, Del Maestro, and Allen

So Schaefer and a bunch of scrubs?

 

[wetcoast]

Keaton Verhoef looks like a potential top 3-5 pick and is a big RHD. He was impressive at the u17’s this season. I’d take him over Hensler based on pure potential right now, and he’d be my #2 ranked D this season. Schaefer, Smith, Aitcheson, Fiddler, Reid and Hamilton could all legit be in the top 10 D for this year.

Verhoff is in the 2026 draft.

So Schaefer and a bunch of scrubs?

They are very young and also include Vlasic and Rinzel.

If Schaefer ends up in Chicago it makes all the other guys better as they don't have to be a #1,#2 ect....

 

[wetcoast]

I think Schaefer would have been the 1st Dman taken in 22, 23, & 24 DRAFTS he is that good.. maybe best Dman to come out since Dahlin

There is no maybe about it and given how young he is for the draft I'd have him a shade above Dahlin as a draft day prospect and the best Dman prospect since Denis Potvin on draft day.

Even if you have Hagens just a tad better you have to consider Schaefer.

 

[Fantomas]

They are very young and also include Vlasic and Rinzel.

If Schaefer ends up in Chicago it makes all the other guys better as they don't have to be a #1,#2 ect....

I like Rinzel (for what he is), but man oh man Lev and Korchinski do not look good at all.

 

[wetcoast]

I like Rinzel (for what he is), but man oh man Lev and Korchinski do not look good at all.

I like Korchinski more long term than Lev and will say again the Black Hawks should have taken Demidov.

 

[ello]

Yea this is the kind of dman you would select in the top 2, not Levshunov and his high volume low wrist shots on net as his primary offensive tool KYLE DAVIDSON

 

[OversKy]

You'd have to be a fool to not take him number 1 at this point...

 

[ORRFForever]

You'd have to be a fool to not take him number 1 at this point...

Hope you're right.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Yea this is the kind of dman you would select in the top 2, not Levshunov and his high volume low wrist shots on net as his primary offensive tool KYLE DAVIDSON

You realize that Levshunov is playing in like the 3rd best league in the world right now and you are somehow comparing that to a junior hockey league?

 

[Hockeyville USA]

You realize that Levshunov is playing in like the 3rd best league in the world right now and you are somehow comparing that to a junior hockey league?

Pretty sure he's also referring to Levshunov's tendencies in the NCAA at Michigan State. Certainly not all the time, but those low percentage wrist shots were common during his time at State.

Regardless, Schaefer looks like a beast and will go in the top 3, probably top 2.

 

[Dempsey]

Yea this is the kind of dman you would select in the top 2, not Levshunov and his high volume low wrist shots on net as his primary offensive tool KYLE DAVIDSON

Do you realize what Levshunov would be doing in the OHL this year if he were playing there when he was practically a PPG in the NCAA last year? I know it's boring when players go to the farm league and you aren't seeing them destroy kids anymore but let's keep things in perspective here. I would take Schaefer over Levshunov but would be over the moon to have both.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Pretty sure he's also referring to Levshunov's tendencies in the NCAA at Michigan State. Certainly not all the time, but those low percentage wrist shots were common during his time at State.

Regardless, Schaefer looks like a beast and will go in the top 3, probably top 2.

I think Schaefer is probably a better overall prospect, but I also think people shouldn't be clowning on Levshunov. He projects as a top pairing defenseman, and he's having a respectable season in the AHL.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

I am dreaming of a young Blackhawks blueline anchored by Schaefer, Levshunov, Korchinski, Kaiser, Del Maestro, and Allen

How about getting Bedard some help

 

[CallMeShaft]

Levshunov is a perfectly fine pick at #2. I wanted Demidov, but that doesn't mean Lev sucks. And big RHD with his potential go early in the draft; they cost an arm and a leg if you try to trade for that type of player later on.

Schaefer is projecting better than him right now. But that's not an insult to Lev, it's a compliment to what MS has done so far this season. We are still a ways away from the draft, but Schaefer might be on his way to being the best D going into the draft since Rasmus Dahlin. That would be no small feat.

 

[frontsfan67]

As of now I don’t know how any team doesn’t take Schaefer first

 

[HawksDub89]

I think Schaefer is probably a better overall prospect, but I also think people shouldn't be clowning on Levshunov. He projects as a top pairing defenseman, and he's having a respectable season in the AHL.

Lev had a rough first 3-4 games and has since settled in nicely.

His D zone play has improved drastically since the first couple games.

To your point, he’s playing in the 3rd best league as a 19 year old coming off a month long foot injury.

Anyone clowning on him has an agenda. (Ello)

 

[Rabid Ranger]

As of now I don’t know how any team doesn’t take Schaefer first

.....because they don't want to take a d-man in that spot when so many top forwards are available?

 

[HawksDub89]

How about getting Bedard some help

Yes, a dynamic #1D that tilts the ice isn’t at all helpful.

 

[HawksDub89]

haha ya that was a major oversight.. I would envision Vlasic/Schaefer, Levshunov/Del Maestro, Korchinski/Allen with Kaiser being the 7th

Schaefer/Levshunov
Vlasic/Korchinski/Rinzel
Kaiser/Allen/EDM

I think Rinzel is as good if not better than Korchinski as a prospect right now.

Anyway, not everyone will work out, but that has the makings of a very good top 4. (Regardless of what the trolls will say)

 

[waitin425]

Sorry Chicago....It'll probably be something more like this....

Schaefer - Guhle
Hutson - Reinbacher
Xhekaj - Mailloux

 

[Castle8130]

I like Rinzel (for what he is), but man oh man Lev and Korchinski do not look good at all.

As a Hawks fan myself, I agree. Lev and Korchinski are not very inspiring. Rinzel looks promising and Vlasic has already solidfied himself as a solid NHLer.

If the Hawks take Schaefer, Bedard won't have anyone to play with for a while. And don't tell me Nazar is coming. Nazar is a great prospect, but he is another 5'9" rookie forward. Him and Bedard would be a disaster defensively.

 

[HawksDub89]

As a Hawks fan myself, I agree. Lev and Korchinski are not very inspiring. Rinzel looks promising and Vlasic has already solidfied himself as a solid NHLer.

If the Hawks take Schaefer, Bedard won't have anyone to play with for a while. And don't tell me Nazar is coming. Nazar is a great prospect, but he is another 5'9" rookie forward. Him and Bedard would be a disaster defensively.

It depends on what you define as inspiring.

If you were expecting Levshunov to be skating circles around the AHL at 19, that’s your own ignorance.

Korchinski has been very solid in Rockford so far.

Also Nazar is coming

 

[SoundwaveIsCharisma]

C'mon Avs, you're just one stretch of Bednar falling in love with Georgiev away from a lottery pick