Schaefer, who was the No. 1 pick in the 2023 OHL draft, emerged as a front-runner to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft despite missing much of his draft year with mono to start it and then a broken collarbone suffered in the second game of the World Juniors (he didn't get back skating until March 13). Even with the shortened year, Schaefer impressed scouts so much over the last year and a half — domestically and especially internationally — that he put himself in the pole position. He regularly logged mid-20s minutes for Erie as a rookie last year. He led Canada White to gold at world under-17s as captain and a big-minutes player, pushing 30 per game when it mattered. He was impactful as an underager at U18 worlds in Finland. He was outstanding at Hlinka as Canada’s No. 1 defenseman and captain for a second time. In the 17 OHL games he did play between mono and the injury at the World Juniors, he was phenomenal for the Otters, making a number of highlight-reel, coast-to-coast plays. He was a standout at the two-game CHL-USA Prospects Challenge. He was a standout at the red-white scrimmages and his USports game in selection camp for the World Juniors, and when the puck dropped on the actual tournament, I thought he’d looked like Canada’s top D through three and a half periods before he got hurt. You get the point. Even with the lost time, the performances have really started to pile up. You won't hear scouts poking holes in his game, either.
When you consider that Schaefer was less than two weeks away from being eligible for the 2026 draft, and the maturity and smarts that already exist in his game, there’s a lot to get excited about. But it’s his brilliant, frankly incredible skating (he’s the best-skating D in the class) that really elevates his projection as a potential No. 1 D and two-way transition monster. He’s got great posture and glide. He’s a balanced and flowing skater with light edges and great posture on his heels skating backwards as well as his toes going forward. He’s mobile in all four directions. But his ability to fly north-south, transport pucks down ice, track back when he’s carried end-to-end, go back and get pucks, and catch guys defensively is elite. He also manages play in front of him. He’s got a good stick and an ability to close out on carriers, be disruptive and then advance and steer play down the ice. He’ll occasionally over-skate his gaps and close-outs and get beat one-on-one, but he recovers so effortlessly. His game is poised and efficient with the puck while also maintaining big play upside. He’s mature beyond his years in terms of reads and decision-making. He’s competitive and is, by all accounts, a great kid who leads by example. Schaefer looks like a projectable No. 1-2 defenseman who covers a ton of territory, can influence play in all four corners and three zones of the rink and is never in a bad spot because of his ability to flow and gallop across the ice.
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