Islanders' No. 1 pick Matthew Schaefer pays tribute to late mother with a kiss and a promise

LOS ANGELES (AP) — After Matthew Schaefer pulled the blue-and-orange sweater over his head at the NHL draft, his eyes already glistening with tears, he glanced down at his left shoulder and saw a pink ribbon.

The symbol of breast cancer awareness was the New York Islanders' tribute to his mother, Jennifer, who died of the disease just 16 months ago.

The No. 1 pick kissed the ribbon and modestly pointed to the sky, paying a poignant tribute to the woman who raised this boy into the man he'll soon become — and who will accompany him on every step of his bright hockey future.

The Islanders selected the gifted 17-year-old defenseman first overall Friday night, kicking off an NHL draft with a beautiful moment felt across the breadth of the sport.

“I appreciate you taking a chance on me,” Schaefer said in a video conference call with the Islanders’ front office. “I promise I won’t disappoint, but especially I just want to say to my mom and all my family and friends, thanks for everything.”

High-scoring forward Michael Misa went second overall to the San Jose Sharks, and the Chicago Blackhawks took Swedish forward Anton Frondell third at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles.

The Islanders maneuvered their way into three picks in the top 17, but they surprised nobody by using their first No. 1 selection since 2009 on Schaefer. The 6-foot-2 blueliner from Hamilton, Ontario, with exceptional puck-moving ability and strong defensive skills spent the past two seasons with the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters, growing into an irresistible choice for the top pick.

Schaefer persevered through tragedy to reach this moment. Along with the loss of his mother, he also endured the recent deaths of the Otters’ owner, Jim Waters, and the mother of his billet family.

The Islanders added the ribbon patch to the ceremonial jersey specifically for Schaefer, along with his mother’s initials on the sweater collar.

“Seeing the ribbon on my jersey, and I saw a picture, it has J.S. on my back here,” Schaefer said. “You can see just how high-class the organization is. It really means a lot. I wish my mom could be here today. Obviously, she’s with me here in spirit. ... Cancer sucks, and it’s not fun. She didn’t feel the best, but she was always the happiest in the family. She would do anything for us.”

Schaefer scored 22 points while playing in only 17 games last season before breaking his collarbone in December. His acumen on both ends of the ice still propelled him to the top of nearly all draft boards.

Schaefer is just the fifth defenseman picked No. 1 overall in the NHL draft since 2000, and the first since Owen Power went to Buffalo in 2021. Schaefer also is the second Erie product to go No. 1, joining Connor McDavid in 2015.

“First and foremost, we drafted him because he’s an unbelievable hockey player,” Isles general manager Mathieu Darche said. “Obviously, the human being is exceptional. (For) a 17-year-old to have that resilience, maturity with everything that he’s gone through is beyond impressive, honestly. I haven’t met many 17-year-old kids that act like him. But at the end of the day, we’re drafting him because he’s a hell of a hockey player.”

Schaefer got two new teammates when the Islanders used the 16th pick on Swedish forward Victor Eklund and nabbed defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson with the 17th selection.

Both Pennsylvania teams also were busy in Los Angeles. The Philadelphia Flyers grabbed forward Porter Martone sixth overall before trading up for the 12th selection to get forward Jack Nesbitt, while the Pittsburgh Penguins maneuvered up and down the draft to control three picks in the top 24, swinging two trades while drafting forwards Benjamin Kindel, Bill Zonnon and William Horcoff.

Misa tore up the OHL last season as the captain of the Saginaw Spirit, scoring 62 goals and 134 points in just 65 games. While wearing a teal jersey for the first time, he repeated his desire to play in the NHL next season if he can crack the roster of a struggling Sharks organization that chose Will Smith fourth overall in 2023 and got center Macklin Celebrini with the first overall pick a year ago.

"He’s an ultra-competitive kid who’s been playing up a level, up a birth year his whole life,” Sharks general manager Mike Grier said about Misa. “He wants to be the best. He wants to play against the best, so I’m sure this is what he wants to do, but you know we’re not going to hand him anything. He’s got to come into training camp and try and take a job."

Frondell excelled as a 17-year-old forward last season with Djurgården in Sweden’s second division, showing off a two-way game that allowed him to push Misa on some draft boards. At 6-2, he could provide a large complement to Connor Bedard.

Frondell is the eighth Swedish player to be a top-three selection, joining elite company including Victor Hedman, Mats Sundin and the Sedin twins.

Center Caleb Desnoyers went fourth to the Utah Mammoth, who moved up 10 spots in the draft lottery.

The Nashville Predators chose physical forward Brady Martin with the fifth pick before trading up for the 21st selection to get Kitchener defenseman Cameron Reid. Martin skipped the draft, staying home on his family farm in Ontario.

Fans of the host Los Angeles Kings inside the theater got fired up for their club to make the 24th selection — which the Kings promptly traded to Pittsburgh for the 31st and 59th selections, prompting groans from the crowd. Los Angeles eventually chose defenseman Henry Brzustewicz from the Memorial Cup champion London Knights in general manager Ken Holland's first selection for his new team.

The Penguins created the majority of the surprises in the first round, first by choosing Calgary Hitmen center Kindel with the 11th pick — much higher than many prognosticators expected.

Pittsburgh then traded the 12th pick, which originally belonged to the New York Rangers, to Philadelphia for the 22nd and 31st picks. The Flyers wanted the 6-foot-4 Nesbitt, a fast-rising center from the OHL's Windsor Spitfires last season.

The Penguins also gave a second-round pick to the Kings and swapped first-rounders so they could move up for Horcoff — the son of NHL veteran Shawn Horcoff — with the 24th pick.

The Anaheim Ducks took a chance on forward Roger McQueen with the 10th selection. The 6-foot-5 McQueen is widely thought to have enough talent to become an elite center, but the Saskatchewan native has been slowed by a back injury that scared off some teams.

Two goalies were chosen in the first round for the first time since 2021 and only the third time in 13 years. Columbus grabbed Russia's Pyotr Andreyanov with the 20th pick, making him the highest-picked European goalie in fourth years, while San Jose added goalie Joshua Ravensbergen with the 30th selection.

The Boston Bruins used the seventh overall pick on Boston College center James Hagens, the consensus top prospect for this draft a year ago.

Hagens, a Long Island native coveted by many Islanders fans, slid down the board just enough to reach the Bruins, whose pick was announced by a video of Adam Sandler in character as Happy Gilmore, complete with his signature Bruins jersey.

“I'm so excited to be back in Boston, and to have Adam Sandler make the pick, that was special,” said Hagens, who cites “Happy Gilmore” as his favorite movie. “I love to win, and I'm really glad that I'm in Boston.”

The Islanders won the lottery to pick first in a draft that is packed with talent — while missing a few staples of recent drafts.

There was no prohibitive lock of a No. 1 pick in this field, unlike the past two drafts, although Schaefer clearly came out on top.

The draft also lacked the centralized structure that has long been a staple of this annual exercise. The 32 teams' various executives are mostly at home, not strewn across the draft floor. The majority of the picks were taken to a video room just behind the stage to exchange televised pleasantries with their new front offices through video conferencing.

While reviews of the new format seemed largely negative from television viewers and fans, many hockey executives praised the format afterward.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

Matthew Schaefer, drafted first by the New York Islanders, middle, stands between Michael Misa, drafted second by the San Jose Sharks, left, and Anton Frondell, drafted third by the Chicago Blackhawks, during the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Anton Frondell, left, is congratulated by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks during the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Michael Misa, middle, puts on a jersey between WWE wrestler Bayley, left, and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being drafted by the San Jose Sharks during the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Matthew Schaefer, left, reacts with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being drafted by the New York Islanders during the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Matthew Schaefer, right, is congratulated after being drafted by the New York Islanders during the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Matthew Schaefer, left, stands with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being drafted by the New York Islanders during the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Matthew Schaefer, left, stands with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being drafted by the New York Islanders during the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Matthew Schaefer walks the red carpet during the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Matthew Schaefer walks the red carpet during the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Matthew Schaefer walks the red carpet during the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

FILE - Canada forward Calum Ritchie, left, celebrates after his goal with defenseman Matthew Schaefer during third-period IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship pretournament action, Dec. 21, 2024, in Ottawa, Ontario. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP, file)

From left to right, Ron Hainsey, NHLPA Assistant Executive Director, Marty Walsh, NHLPA Executive Director, Gary Bettman, NHL Commissioner, and Bill Daly, NHL Deputy Commissioner, pose for photos after a joint press conference before the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Monday commuted to Cheong Wa Dae, the country’s traditional presidential palace, for the first time since taking office in June, more than three years after his ousted predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol moved the presidential office to the Defense Ministry compound.

It was the first time a president had commuted to Cheong Wa Dae since May 9, 2022, the final day of former President Moon Jae-in’s term, before Yoon began his presidency working out of a converted Defense Ministry building.

Lee, who won a snap presidential election in June following Yoon’s removal over a brief declaration of martial law in December 2024, spent weeks relocating the presidential office back to Cheong Wa Dae, also known as the Blue House, as he seeks to erase the legacy of his now-jailed predecessor.

Cheong Wa Dae is nestled on the lower slopes of a mountain in northern Seoul, occupying about 250,000 square meters (62 acres) behind the historic Gyeongbokgung Palace. The site, which has undergone several renovations over the decades, has served primarily as the country’s presidential office since the government’s founding following independence from Japanese colonial rule at the end of World War II.

Arguing that the hillside Cheong Wa Dae was too isolated from the public, Yoon reportedly spent about $40 million relocating the presidential office to several buildings at the Defense Ministry compound in Yongsan in central Seoul, dismissing concerns over security and costs and claiming the move would make his presidency more democratic. Following the relocation, he opened parts of Cheong Wa Dae to the public as a tourist site, which drew millions of visitors.

Yoon, a staunch conservative, later triggered the country’s deepest democratic crisis in decades when he declared martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, during a standoff with Lee’s liberal Democratic Party, which controlled the legislature and obstructed much of his policy agenda.

Martial law lasted only hours, after a quorum of lawmakers broke through a military blockade and voted to lift the measure. Yoon was impeached later that month, removed from office in April by a Constitutional Court ruling and re-arrested in July. He now faces serious criminal charges, including rebellion, which carries a possible life sentence or the death penalty.

Ahead of Lee’s commute, officials raised a presidential flag featuring two phoenixes at Cheong Wa Dae at midnight, marking the palace’s return as the official presidential office. Guards saluted as Lee’s motorcade passed the compound gates, as dozens of supporters nearby waved the South Korean flag and chanted his name. Lee’s office later released a video of him holding a tea meeting with senior aides in one of Cheong Wa Dae’s rooms.

Lee’s office said he will commute from the current presidential residence in another part of Seoul until it is moved back to Cheong Wa Dae at an unspecified date.

A general view of Cheong Wa Dae, also known as the Blue House, is seen in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Lee Jung-hun/Yonhap via AP)

A general view of Cheong Wa Dae, also known as the Blue House, is seen in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Kim Do-hun/Yonhap via AP)

South Korea's National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, right, talks with Chief Security of National Policy Kim Yongbeom as they wait of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's arrival at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, or the Blue House in Seoul Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Jeoon Heon-Kyun/Pool Photo via AP)

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, left, arrives at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, or the Blue House in Seoul, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025 as Lee marked his first official day at Cheong Wa Dae on Monday after three years and seven months since the Yoon Seok-yeol government moved the presidential office to Yongsan in May 2022. (Jeoon Heon-Kyun/Pool Photo via AP)

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, center, arrives at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, or the Blue House in Seoul, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025 as Lee marked his first official day at Cheong Wa Dae on Monday after three years and seven months since the Yoon Seok-yeol government moved the presidential office to Yongsan in May 2022. (Jeoon Heon-Kyun/Pool Photo via AP)

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, center, arrives at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, or the Blue House in Seoul, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025 as Lee marked his first official day at Cheong Wa Dae on Monday after three years and seven months since the Yoon Seok-yeol government moved the presidential office to Yongsan in May 2022. (Jeoon Heon-Kyun/Pool Photo via AP)