Morning Skate Availability | Patrick Roy, Jonathan Drouin & Matthew Schaefer | NYI vs PIT (10/9/25)

Morning Skate Availability | Patrick Roy, Jonathan Drouin & Matthew Schaefer | NYI vs PIT (10/9/25)

of course the season opener but al also your Islanders debut. How are you feeling ahead of tonight? Good. Excited. Um camp camp’s been long. You’re kind of waiting for that first game to come around and um yeah, very excited that our team’s ready and we had a good camp. Just you worked with Bo throughout camp and working on that chemistry. How do you where do you guys feel like you’re at at this point? Yeah, I feel good about it. Um we liked our last preseason game. We had a lot of chances, a lot of looks and uh like you said, we speak a lot. We we’re kind of on the same page hockey wise. So um it’s been good so far, but it might take a little time still. with Emil Hineman, another guy making his Islanders debut. How special is that for him and to share that moment with him on on Horvat’s line? Yeah, it’s cool. Um he’s a hell of a player. I played with him a little bit in Montreal when he’s up and down and um he had a great year last year. So um like I said, his game’s very very good on any area. He’s got a great shot and he plays the game really well. Always talks about just the team structure and special teams. Of course, you coming in as a power play specialist in Colorado. What kind of progress has the group made over the past few weeks? Looks good. Um I I wasn’t here last year, so it’s hard to kind of look down on that, but um Ray’s been doing a good job that PP looks like we’re on the same page. We have our looks, we have our things we want to do. Um yeah, it’s been good so far, but PP is a little more complicated than just one game. What’s your message to um Matt Matt Schaefer and Matt Shabbanov making their NHL debuts for tonight? Just enjoy it. Um you’re going to be nervous for sure, but you’re I I didn’t really enjoy my first game. I was so nervous. So um I kind of told him told Sha yesterday to, you know, soak it in. Um, I can’t remember what Paul Marie said last year. It’s got your family, your friends, and all the people’s game. It’s not your game, it’s all the coaches that helped you. So, um, hopefully he soaks it in and enjoys it and has fun with it. Touch on being nervous for your first Angel game. What else do you remember about that game? Um, just just my family being there to be honest, seeing my dad after the game, my mom, uh, all the work they put in, all those years to kind of make it there with me. Um, obviously they don’t play the game, they watch it, but um, yeah, I remember being in Edmonton my first game. um had a good game, but yeah, like I said, I don’t think I enjoyed it that much. It kind of went by really quick. Yeah, obviously super exciting. I mean, um you know, you dreamed of playing in the NHL one day, and I mean, the work doesn’t stop here. It’s, you know, just getting started. So, um honestly, it’s just like every other game. Uh you know, you just want to get the season going. You want to get that first shift and and you want to get in the game. So, uh you can just put your head down and, you know, get to work. So, there’s going to be no, you know, first time you’re on the Oh my god, that’s Sid Crosby. Oh my god, that’s if Guiney Malin, you know, Chris Leang. Obviously, it’s like, you know, pretty cool. Um, but I mean, everyone’s, you know, playing the game of hockey and, um, you’re not really looking in awe. You’re, you know, you want to beat them, right? So, um, yeah. I mean, obviously, uh, it’s going to be pretty cool. Obviously, playing against such a talented, uh, you know, guys, but, I mean, we got such a talented group of guys, you know, um, I’ve been, you know, training with, you know, for, you know, the last month. So, um, we’re, uh, we’re ready to play and we want to, you know, start the season off hot. So, uh, once the game gets going, it’ll just be, you know, fun cuz you’ll be in the game and you’ll be, you know, so dialed in. What’s the message from the guys? Yeah, obviously. I mean, just enjoy it. I mean, you only, uh, you play your first game once ever. So, um, I mean, just enjoy it. I mean, obviously, uh, you know, they’re like you’re going to be thinking about it, but obviously it’s just a game, right? So, um, you know, they say it’s your first game, but it’s just a regular hockey game once you’re in it. So, it’s going to be fun. I mean, I’m super excited. um you know, just to be out in morning skate, get the legs going. So, uh yeah, can’t wait. Are you one of those guys that can take a second during skate, look up, look around and and appreciate where you are right now? And and do you are you going to have family here tonight for you? Yeah, 100%. You kind of, you know, take a second. Obviously, um you know, my dad’s been, you know, you know, super excited. Um he’s like, “Oh, I can’t believe you know, you’re playing in the NHL.” Things like that. So, um he’s like a kid in a candy store right now, just enjoying it. But uh yeah, I mean obviously you know through you know all the hard times where you know your parents are working, they’re driving you to practice, they’re doing a lot of stuff. I mean uh I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them. So yeah, lots of family coming. I think there’s about you know 20ish maybe close to 30. We’ll see. But um yeah, I mean it’s going to be awesome. Obviously friends, family, so many people coming. So uh it’ll be good to see them after the game, but I’m going to be so dialed in that it’s uh I’m going to be super locked in. So I won’t be half the city of Erie, too. Yeah, I don’t know. I don’t know. I I think there’s going to be a couple people coming from area for sure. So, we’ll see um you know, how many people come, but it’s uh you know, it’s definitely going to be a fun one, but it’s you know, just a hockey game. You had a chance to practice here last year? Yeah. Did you have interaction with the Penguins at all when you were in town for that practice? I think we met a couple of guys, but I mean, I think it’s just, you know, get on the ice, you know, things like that. But, uh yeah, I mean, it’s pretty cool to, you know, do what an NHL team does. And I mean, it’s your dream to, you know, play in the NHL. So, you know, uh, last year to get a little bit taste of, you know, what it’s like is pretty cool. And then obviously to be here, it’s, you know, where you want to be and you want to stay up here. So, um, yeah. I mean, it’s good. Lots of hard work, but it’s fun. Matthew, the last guy to be picked from the number one was David. Do you feel any of those, you know, expectations from this club to kind of follow in his footsteps a little bit? Yeah, obviously he’s a guy that I’ve, you know, looked up to. Obviously, going to the area made, uh, my decision pretty easy. um you know seeing guys like him come out who’ve uh you know such a great organization. So um you know I knew when you know Erie picked me I was you know that was the place I wanted to go and uh um you know they’ve helped me so much and then obviously you know watching you know Connor do his thing it’s pretty cool and uh you know obviously you strive to have his work worth ethic and uh uh things like that. So uh yeah uh it’s pretty cool. Um I mean two fellow Eerie Oddters so it’ll be good. Um, but yeah, I’m uh I’m looking to just, you know, focus on my game and, you know, uh, you know, work work as hard as I can and leave it all out there each and every day. What do you remember the morning of your first NHL game and how you handled first start? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I didn’t know how to get to the ring, so I got late. Was that a good start or what? No, it’s, you know, I No, I I um obviously it was at different I mean, it was the igloo, I think they call it. So, um, first I think two, three shots. I can’t remember how many I had, but Mario Lemu scored two goals. So, I think we were down two nothing. And then Larry Robinson came to me and he goes, “Kid, don’t worry. Just make the next save and we’ll go.” And Larry went from coast to coast, hit the backboard and bounce back and beat Jill Malash between the legs and made it a two-1 game and we won. we came back to win like I thought that was like 3-2 or something like this. So yeah, good memories. How long I feel like it was yesterday actually. How long did it take for you to feel like for it to feel normal like to to feel like a routine and you know, yeah, I belong here and this is what I’m supposed to do. I think what you want is just to stay focused on what you want to do, but also making sure that you do things simple at the beginning and then let yourself go. And I think that’s what Larry did to me in that day. I mean, come down and and and refocus and stay stay composed basically. Patrick, most most players coming over for major junior um have habits, things that they do to be successful at that level. Does Will Matthew have to change anything drastically on what he’s doing to conform to how you want to play and attack? Well, I mean, um, I don’t think he’s going to make a lot of change, but obviously he’s going to have to make some change from junior to NHL, it’s a little bit different. I mean, Sydney Crosby and whoever they play in junior, it’s a little different player. So, no disrespect for what what’s going on in junior, but I think he’s going to have to make some he’s going to learn and that’s all we want. We want him to learn. We want him to um be himself. And we’re certainly not going to change his offensive skills, but I’m sure he’s gonna have to make some adjustment um especially at the beginning with this this the strength of the the players that he was seeing junior compared to NHL. So that might be the biggest adjustment for him. But he’s smart, so it’ll be fun. Knowing that he plays that style, will there be things that you want to have the other guys be aware of? No. Make it easy for them. No, he’s playing with Maisy for that reason. We want Maisy to be basically a big brother to him and and help him out. And I know he will do really well in that role. Does it surprise you that I think counted 16 teenage players making NHL debuts, you know, across the landscape here at the NHL? Is that surprising to you? Not really. I mean, they’re good players. If they’re ready, they’re ready. I mean, that’s what we did with McKinnon in Colorado. If we feel he’s ready, they’re ready. So, I mean, it’s a it’s I’m not saying it’s it’s a it’s a young league, but it’s the younger players have a chance to make, you know, making it a lot faster maybe it was years ago. What’s your message to the team tonight? Enjoy yourself. That’s what that’s what we we talk about joy from the start of the training camp and we’re going to continue to do this and and enjoy enjoy

The New York Islanders hit the ice at PPG Paints Arena for their first morning skate of the 2025-26 NHL season ahead of tonight’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Hear from Head Coach Patrick Roy, forward Jonathan Drouin, and rookie Matthew Schaefer as they share thoughts on the opener, team chemistry, and the excitement heading into a new year.