New York Islanders No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer is a spectacle.
Everyone watching, whether at UBS Arena or from their couch, could watch the 18-year-old skate around the rink all day.
Unfortunately, everyone is going to get that wish, with defenseman Alexanders Romanov likely out for the rest of the season due to a right shoulder injury that requires surgery. He'll be out five-to-six months.
BREAKING: Islanders' Alexander Romanov To Have Shoulder Surgery, Out 5-6 Months Devastating blow for the Islanders: Romanov's season ends abruptly due to shoulder surgery after a controversial hit. Recovery targets next season.The positive news is that Schaefer has proven he can not only handle the big minutes but also maintain his elite play regardless of how much he's out there.
After playing 27:29 in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues, Schaefer played 27:23 on Sunday in their 1-0 shootout win against the Seattle Kraken, in what was arguably his best game of the season.
He only played 16 seconds of that on the penalty kill.
"Probably one of the better games for Schaefer since he's been here," Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said. "I mean, he was in on the rush all the time. He was making plays. He was defending well."
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Just how good was Schaefer in the game?
Schaefer recorded four shots on nine attempts and was getting up the ice effortlessly, trying to create offense for his team while also getting back on defense quickly.
When he was on the ice, the Islanders out-attempted the Blues 25-9 at even strength and 28-9 overall, and outshot them 19-6 at 5-on-5.
This was the third game that Schaefer has surpassed the 27-minute mark, and he is the youngest player to play at least 27 minutes on consecutive days. The only other teenager to do so (since ice-time was official) was Jay Bouwmeester for Florida on February 26-27, 2003. Bouwmeester was nearly 19 ½ at the time of the games, which were played 4 ½ years before Schaefer was born.
Schaefer has not recorded a point over his last five games, but he's been doing everything he can to help the Islanders win hockey games. Over that span, he's gotten shots through with 10, adding six blocks.
There's always concern about overrelying on rookies, but if the Islanders didn't think Schaefer could handle the increased minutes, they wouldn't be playing him as much.
Will he surpass 27 minutes on Wednesday night against the Boston Bruins?