NHL draft prospect, Hamilton’s Matthew Schaefer, on dealing with serious injury and the death of his mom [Video]

Matthew Schaefer’s collarbone is fine, and so is the Erie Otter defenseman’s perspective on dealing with adversity.

Missing the final three months of the season entering his draft eligible year, the 17-year-old said, is nothing compared to what NHL Central Scouting’s top-ranked North American skater has already endured.

Schaefer lost his mother, Jennifer, to breast cancer in February 2024. Two months earlier, his billet mother in Erie was struck and killed by a train, with her death ruled a suicide.

“I’ve been through a lot in my life and I’d rather an injury than losing someone I love,” Schaefer said Friday at the NHL’s annual pre-draft combine in Buffalo. “I mean, there’s a lot worse things that can happen than injuries.

As for recovering from the collarbone he broke in December, Schaefer said: “I’m pretty positive with my mindset and I’m driven to want to come back. So yeah, obviously …