Reigning NHL rookie of the year tells Leafs’ McKenna to enjoy the ride

If Gavin McKenna’s first season in the National Hockey League unfolds anything close to the way it did for Matthew Schaefer, the Toronto Maple Leafs rookie will have more than lived up to the sky-high expectations that go with being the first overall draft pick.

Schaefer, who went first overall to the New York Islanders in 2025, proceeded to have a freshman campaign for the ages, putting up 59 points in 82 games on his way to becoming the second-youngest player to win the Calder Trophy, earning the rookie-of-the-year award in a unanimous vote.

He also forced his way into the Canadian Olympic team conversation, narrowly missing out on being on the flight to Milan last winter.

With McKenna’s much-hyped NHL debut out of the way after he was held pointless in Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, the first overall picks from the past two years were set to meet on Wednesday night in Toronto with the Leafs playing host to the Islanders.

The pair have long operated in each other’s orbit, having played on various Canadian age-group teams since they first met in 2023, including teaming up for Canada’s opening goal at the 2025 world juniors in Ottawa.

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“He’s a great kid,” Schaefer said of McKenna. “Obviously, I got to play with him at Team Canada tournaments and things like that. And he’s a great player, but an even greater person. So yeah, I mean he’s going to do great things, and Toronto’s a good spot [for him].”

Like McKenna, who is rooming with linemate John Tavares as he gets used to life as an NHLer, Schaefer spent his rookie season living with a colleague. In his case it was long-time Islander forward Matt Martin, who retired from playing last year and has been serving as special assistant to general manager Mathieu Darche.

Schaefer – who enjoyed living with the Martin family so much he decided to stay on for his sophomore season too – says it supported him immensely with transitioning to the life of a professional hockey player.

“It’ll help so much,” he said of McKenna’s living situation. “Obviously, just for me, I’m a big family guy, and I don’t know what I’d be doing if I was living by myself, I really don’t. I’d be just at the rink probably all day because I wouldn’t have anything to do.”

Despite turning 19 earlier this month, the Islanders defenceman was announced as an alternate captain on Tuesday, becoming the youngest player in franchise history to wear a letter. He entered the new season just 41 points shy of joining Phil Housley as the second blueliner in NHL history with 100 or more points before turning 20.

Having scored in his own NHL debut a year ago, Schaefer watched McKenna being held in check in his first game on Tuesday night. McKenna admitted he didn’t have his best game, and Schaefer confessed he had many similar thoughts last year, but that’s where his living situation benefited him, allowing him to bounce stuff off a former NHLer such as Martin.

As far as advice goes, Schaefer said that McKenna needs to tap into the wealth of knowledge available to him in a dressing room featuring players like Tavares, Auston Matthews, William Nylander and others.

“Learn from all the vets,” Schaefer said. “That’s what I loved, and don’t be too hard on yourself. I know, obviously, we have a lot of expectations for ourselves, and we have very high ones. So just enjoy it as you go – you’re playing in the best league in the world.”

Islanders head coach Peter DeBoer concurred with his young star. One of the benefits of playing with this current Toronto team, he added, is that the scoring load and pressure that might otherwise fall on a first overall pick won’t be the same for McKenna.

“I think the benefit he has right now is he’s behind other elite skill guys,” DeBoer said. “He’s not the only guy coming in having to do it. He’s behind Willie and Matthews and Tavares and those guys. So he has a little bit of some protection there from that, both expectation and from having to do things himself.”

The occupants of that Leaf dressing room have little doubt that it’s just a matter of time before McKenna gets up to speed in his new surroundings. Head coach Jim Hiller said he felt no need to speak to McKenna specifically in the wake of his debut performance, while veteran Nick Paul said that a “learning curve” is to be expected at this level, and that the rest of the roster was there to support him along the way.

Morgan Rielly, who struggled to remember details of his own NHL debut with Toronto 13 years ago, lavished praise on his young teammate, one of 10 new Leafs that took the ice on Tuesday night as part of an overhauled Maple Leafs roster.

“He was great. I thought all our new guys were great,” Rielly said. “He plays with such skill and poise, almost has like a unique way about him in terms of how he moves with the puck. And I thought he did a great job. It’s not easy to come in and play your first game on a big stage and I thought he handled it very well.”