Matthew Schaefer Not in Huge Rush To Wear the C for NY Islanders

While nobody denies that the New York Islanders have a storied history, nobody can deny that the franchise's future is very much centered around budding star Matthew Schaefer.

After being drafted No. 1 overall in 2025, it's become quite clear that Schaefer has become one of the most recognizable faces for the Islanders. Bo Horvat was named the Isles' 16th captain in franchise history back in September — with Horvat filling the vacancy left by Anders Lee, who joined the Utah Mammoth for a three-year, $16.2-million contract.

Schaefer would go on to be added as an alternate captain for the New York organization this year alongside Brayden Schenn, joining Kyle Palmieri and Ryan Pulock in wearing the "A."

That begs the question: Is Schaefer next up for the captaincy?

Matthew Schaefer Ready to Wait for Added Leadership Role

Well, for Schaefer, he's already stated late this summer that he's not in too big a rush to wear the coveted "C."

"It would be such an honor [to be captain]," Schaefer previously told NHL.com at the 12th annual Smilezone Foundation Celebrity Golf Tournament at Lionhead Golf Club on Monday. "There have been so many great [Islanders captains], but at the end of the day we have so many leaders like Bo Horvat, Brayden Schenn who have all been captains and are all our leaders too. I'm still young so I'm in no rush."

The 19-year-old Schaefer is the youngest player in franchise history to be awarded a letter.

Instead of being focused on an eventual captaincy, Schaefer is opting to learn from the more veteran players.

"I want to learn from those guys and become the best version of myself I can be," Schaefer had also said. "I'm excited for the year and I want to focus on our team. It doesn't really matter about [the captaincy] because we have so many leaders in the room. Once you start the season, everyone is going to step up and everyone has a voice."

Schaefer is the reigning Calder Trophy winner (the first unanimous choice for the award in 33 years across 198 ballots) and has 68 points across 24 goals and 44 assists on his career so far — and counting.

The Hamilton, Ontario native is coming off a 2025-26 season in which he led all rookies in average time on ice, power-play goals (8), and shots on goal (222), while tying for first in goals and overtime goals (2). Schaefer has already posted nine points this year from 10 games played.

Horvat was awarded the ongoing captaincy for the Islanders after having served as captain for the Vancouver Canucks from the 2019-20 season until he was traded to the Islanders on Jan. 30, 2023.