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With the 2025 NHL Draft now in the rearview, the Islanders are gearing up to welcome their newest prospects to the ice — including No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer — as development camp kicks off Monday at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow.
It’ll be the first camp under new general manager and executive vice president Mathieu Darche, and fans will get their first look at the future of the franchise. The week will build toward a Blue vs. White prospect game on Wednesday at 5 p.m., which is open to the public.
Tickets are $15 and will benefit the Islanders Children’s Foundation.
Here’s what’s coming up in Islanders Country.
The schedule
- Camp begins Monday with two on-ice sessions
- Tuesday and Thursday feature practice open to the public
- Wednesday will feature a single group session using both rinks, followed by the Blue vs. White game at 5 p.m.
Click here to read more and RSVP for a spot to watch Islanders camp.
New Bridgeport boss
Running this year’s camp is Rocky Thompson, the newly named head coach of the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport.
He’ll be getting an early look at prospects he may soon coach full time.
“These development camps typically are with the skating and the skills coaches,” said Thompson. “It’s kind of their time and their opportunity to work with these players. For myself and the development staff, it’s our opportunity to get to know these guys and start forging a relationship.”
Darche said Thompson’s communication skills stood out during the hiring process.
Now he’ll get to put that to work on the ice.
“Some of these guys are going to be going back to college or back to junior and some of them may even end up on our team in Bridgeport,” Thompson said. “That’s an opportunity for me to kind of get a close-up look at themselves as hockey players but also start to break the ice with the communication.”
Teaching, not testing
While some prospects could be pushing for NHL roster spots in September, this week isn’t about making the team — it’s about laying a foundation.
“What we want to do is teach,” said Thompson. “We’re not evaluating them right now. This is just an opportunity for us to create a foundation on some skills that they probably haven’t been taught yet at the levels that they’ve played and maybe that they don’t have in their bag and they’re skillset that they can go back and start to build.”
No pressure. Just learning.
“We just want to create a foundation of some simple things that we believe translates to the next level,” he said. “You know all these kids can skate like the wind and they can shoot a hundred miles an hour. We want to get some of the finer details that you don’t always see or that may be holding them back in certain areas.”
Schaefer Era starts now
Friday night, the Islanders made a splash by selecting Erie Otters defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the No. 1 overall pick — thrilling the crowd at UBS Arena during their draft party. Now, the real work begins.
“I can’t wait,” said Schaefer. “It’s an honor. I can’t wait to get started. This summer is going to be very big for me…working out on the ice and in the gym with NHL guys and being in a day-to-day routine with them. I want to be on that opening night roster and the work starts now. I’m going to work as hard as I can.”
Three first-round picks, one week
The Isles picked up two more first-rounders after trading defenseman Noah Dobson to Montreal. With those, they landed Swedish forward Victor Eklund at No. 16 and physical blue-liner Kashawn Aitcheson at No. 17.
All three first-rounders are expected to take the ice Monday in East Meadow.
“We got three outstanding young men,” said Darche. “High-character individuals tend to overachieve and the three kids that we got (in the first round) are extremely high-character. That’s how you win. We replenished the prospect pool really well. That’s exciting.”
Names to watch
- Cole Eiserman, BU winger and the Islanders’ 2024 first-rounder
- Calum Ritchie, center acquired from Colorado in the Brock Nelson deal
- Danny Nelson, Notre Dame center and 2023 second-round pick
The Islanders aren’t claiming victory just yet. But thanks to a wave of new talent, there’s a renewed sense of momentum — and Islanders fans will get their first glimpse of it starting Monday in East Meadow.
Top: Matthew Schaefer walks the red carpet during the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
