Top NHL Draft prospect likely out with broken collarbone

Friday night’s World Junior matchup between Team Canada and Team Latvia had severe implications beyond a round-robin matchup. Hockey Canada announced the top defenseman and prospect for the 2025 NHL Draft, Matthew Schaefer, will miss the remainder of the World Junior Championships due to an injury suffered Friday evening.

TSN draft analyst Bob McKenzie added more context to the injury Saturday morning, sharing that Schaefer suffered a broken collarbone and will likely miss the next two to three months of action. Hockey Canada has replaced Schaefer with Vancouver Canucks prospect Sawyer Mynio and could still add Seattle Kraken prospect Carson Rehkopf to secure a full 25-man roster.

Schaefer was already a top-five prospect for the 2025 NHL Draft heading into the season, but his play to start the year had some mock drafts moving him up to the first overall selection. He’s scored five goals and 22 points in 17 games for the OHL’s Erie Otters while managing a +21 rating. He’s a solid skating defenseman with size and has displayed an exceptional hockey IQ this season in Erie.

Given his maturity and responsibility on both sides of the puck, there’s no question why Schaefer was considered a top prospect for the upcoming draft. Unfortunately, given that he’ll miss time on the world stage with Team Canada and a few months in the OHL, this injury likely nixes any chance for Schaefer to be selected with the first overall pick.

The injury shouldn’t move him too far down the draft board, as there’s recent precedent for teams selecting players after injury-riddled draft years. The St. Louis Blues selected defenseman Adam Jiricek with the 16th overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft after missing most of the season due to a knee injury. Given that Schaefer has a much higher ceiling than Jiricek, it’s safe to say he’ll still be a top-five selection.