Otters' Schaefer awarded with CHL top draft prospect award
Otters defenseman Matthew Schaefer was recognized by the CHL as the league's top draft prospect award winner.
The 17-year-old, Schaefer, is the second Otter to receive that recognition with Connor McDavid being the other back in 2015.
Schaefer, a former number one overall pick in the OHL priority selection back in 2023 who had his season cut short after suffering a broken collarbone in December, totaled 22 points in 17 games this past season.
Currently ranked as the #1 North American Skater by NHL Central Scouting and projected to go first overall in the NHL Entry Draft in Los Angeles on June 27, this award adds to the list of accolades for Schaefer.
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In this case, there are enough games over the last two years to make an assessment of the player. His profile: a big, productive center that has underlying skill, usually goes in the top 10. I don't feel he is out of place there. Scout 7: I have no problem with McQueen in the top 10. Scout 8: Yes, it's not like there are 10 elite talents in this draft, so might as well. Scout 10: I wouldn't take Roger McQueen in the top 10. He is a mid-first-rounder in my books. Scout 11: No (but I didn't see enough of McQueen). Scout 13: Yes. Scout 14: I'd be comfortable taking him. While it's not ideal and there would be a level of risk, his talent and potential to be a star are higher than most. Advertisement Scout 15: No, worried about trouble there. One of the most common things I heard coming out of the NHL Combine was that Ryabkin — whose attitude, maturity, discipline and even fitness had already been talked about for more than a year as an issue — was that his interviews went really poorly (even more poorly than expected in some cases). He also looked like he was in horrible shape. And so this question felt like it could be revealing of the gap between the player's perceived talent level and the actual range that teams might consider taking him. Predictably, the answers were all over the place. Some teams don't even have him on their lists, and one director told me his team didn't interview him because it was a 'waste of time.' Others view him as a first-round talent and would consider even taking him as early as the late-first or second round. But the consensus seemed to be that he was a late-first/second-round talent and a Round 3-5 pick. Scout 1: Second round. Fifth round. Not a fan of the person or the player. 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