NHL agent Pat Morris didn’t need to see Matthew Schaefer on the ice to know he was special. When Schaefer first visited his office, Morris saw qualities that went beyond hockey. He immediately noticed the defenseman’s maturity and calm presence."You could see his first pick overall material as a person," Morris said on Monday, via "First Up." "Forget about what the hockey looked like on the ice, he was just fantastic as a young man, mature beyond his years.”The No. 1 pick this year by the New York Islanders had a tough season leading up to the draft, missing several early games because of mononucleosis. He also broke his clavicle in December while playing for Canada at the World Juniors. However, despite those setbacks, his draft stock never dropped.Morris praised how Schaefer handled those challenges and stayed focused.“He’s got personality, he’s got caring, and he’s got style,” Morris said. “He’s just a uniqueness.”Even with only 17 games played, Schaefer impressed scouts and coaches with his performance and leadership. Morris said Schaefer "held serve" and still proved he deserved to be the top pick.“What’s amazing is that he played 17 games and showed enough to the evaluators to stay up at the top,” Morris said.Schaefer returned to action during the Islanders’ Blue and White Scrimmage earlier this month. It was his first time skating in front of the team's fans. The crowd at Northwell Ice Center gave him a standing ovation, and that moment stayed with him.“That was amazing," Schaefer said on July 3, via NHL.com. "If my dad and brother were here, they would have been like, ‘Wow.’ This is almost home.”Matthew Schaefer talked about 2025 Staney Cup finals teamsMatthew Schaefer talked about visiting Florida during the Stanley Cup finals and meeting the Panthers. He said the fans there were excited and loud."Florida is another world out there," Schaefer said on July 8, via the "Spittin’ Chiclets" podcast. "It's electric there, like the fans love it... They're a solid team. And we had breakfast with Marchand in the morning, met all the guys on Florida, and then we met Connor and all them at Edmonton. So it was pretty sweet."He got to see firsthand how the players prep for the big games.Even though Schaefer liked the visit, he said that he was an Islander for life.