The atmosphere at UBS Arena was electric as fans waited 24 minutes into Matthew Schafer’s preseason debut before starting to chant his name.
Schafer made his first appearance with the Flyers on Sunday night and even secured an assist on a goal. Palmieri took the spotlight, but the focus was clearly on Schafer.
“Matt Hay Schafer!” rang out from the crowd behind Flyersnet.
This was the first time his name resonated through the arena, but it certainly won’t be the last.
“It was a bit overwhelming,” Schafer reflected after the game, a tightly contested 3-2 shootout loss for the Flyers. “At first, I thought they were cheering for [Scott Mayfield], but then realized it was for me. You definitely feel those chills.”
Clearly, the excitement wasn’t just casual support.
In his debut, Schafer skated for 24 minutes and 39 seconds while partnering with Mayfield. He took five shots on goal and displayed impressive skating skills, especially considering this was his first competitive action since suffering a broken collarbone at the World Juniors last December. He even managed to close a 40-foot gap to split a breakaway opportunity. Still, it was a mixed night for him.
He took two penalties and made a careless pass that directly led to a Flyers goal early on. Coach Patrick Roy indicated later that it was a team error and emphasized that the forward should have been in position.
“No one is flawless, but he’s a resilient player,” Roy noted. “We won’t let it bother him. What we want is for him to play confidently.”
Following that mistake, Schafer bounced back strong.
“He really played well,” Roy commented. “It’s exciting to watch his game. The defensive play he made during their breakaway in overtime was outstanding.”
“It was fun to see. He’s just 18, but his performance is remarkable. Fans are really starting to like him.”
Alongside Schafer, others like Jonathan Druin and Max Shabanov also made their debuts, featuring prominently on the first line, while first-round pick Kashaun Hitchson joined the mix for this preseason opener.
Despite the team’s efforts to keep Schafer under the radar, he’s clearly standing out in practice and early games, playing on both special teams and clocking substantial ice time. He was hard to miss, both in the game and during practice sessions leading up to this point.
So far, his path to securing a spot on the team seems wide open, and he’s maintaining a fast pace on the ice.
“We’re not just flashy,” Schafer said Monday morning, discussing the Isles Draft class. “We’re legitimate players.”
That might very well be the case.
“It’s not unexpected, but being out there gives you a different perspective. Next time, I’ll work on avoiding penalties and just keep my head in the game. Overall, I think it was a solid start, though there’s still a lot I want to improve.”
“That’s what every game is about—striving to get better. It felt like a good beginning, but there’s much more work ahead to refine my game.”
