Matthew Schaefer’s life has been exciting over the past few days.

He is the total package as a skater. He has a phenomenal top gear and will push the pace with the puck through open ice. He loves to activate on the rush, and he can afford to, as his straight-line speed affords him the ability to quickly rotate back to the points or catch up on the backcheck.

LOS ANGELES – The expectation always was for the Islanders to select defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the first pick in the NHL Draft. That became a reality on Friday night at The Peacock Theater.