Erie Otters defenseman Matthew Schaefer controls the puck against the Sarnia Sting at Erie Insurance Arena

What Happened to Matthew Schaefer’s Mother?

Matthew Schaeffer is a top candidate for the first overall pick

Erie Otters defenseman Matthew Schaefer controls the puck against the Sarnia Sting at Erie Insurance Arena

Matthew Schaefer is a Canadian ice hockey player who is widely considered to be the number one overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft on Friday, June 27. The 17-year-old has played the last couple of seasons for the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).

The left-handed shooter plays as a defenseman, but started the 2024 season strong with 7 goals and 15 assists in just 17 games before a collarbone injury forced him to miss the rest of the season.

Nevertheless, Schaefer was ranked as the number one skater in North America on the NHL Central Scouting Bureau’s midterm rankings. But while the teenager has been letting his game do the talking on the ice rink, life off the rink has been quite a tragedy for the Ontario native.

Matthew Schaefer Suffers Tragic Loss of His Mother

Schaefer, who was born to parents Todd and Jennifer on September 5, 2007, suffered heartbreak in February 2024 when he lost his mother due to breast cancer. His mother had been suffering for about two years prior to her death.

Sometime around December 2023, during the Family Day game in Brantford, his mother fell severely ill and could not attend the game. As per Schaefer’s father, she was doing fine prior to that day, but things suddenly escalated, and the family was told that the battle had been lost and that the time had come.

"I carry myself to show people what my mom did for the person I am today." ❤️

Top prospect Matthew Schaefer and his loved ones open up about the heartbreaking loss of both his mother and his billet mother, and how their memory continues to inspire his journey on and off the ice.… pic.twitter.com/sC4VmWojQp
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 23, 2025

Matthew was only 16 years old at that time, but that event of losing his mother, coupled with other tragic news, has moulded him into the strong player and human being that he is. As a matter of fact, Schaefer had also lost his billet mother just a couple of months before losing his biological mother, but it is this adversity that has shaped him.

Recently, prior to Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, Schaefer opened up about his mother, where he talked about her strength and how he wishes to follow her example.

“Just seeing what my mom went through, having a smile on her face with cancer and everything trying to bring her down, but she wouldn’t let it bring her down. She’s someone I look up to, really strong. I wish I was as tough as her. Definitely get my dad’s toughness. But yeah, she’s someone I always looked up to.”

Moreover, Schaefer also recalled how his mother was instrumental in allowing him to pursue his dream even when he was younger. His mother would put on the goalie suit, while Schaefer and his older brother took turns taking shots.

Also Read: Who Are Roger McQueen’s Parents and Sisters? All About the Parents and Siblings of the 2025 NHL Draft Top Prospect

For a young kid to go through such a devastating loss, it is never easy to come through with so much positivity, but Schaefer has not only done that, he has ensured to keep his dream of making it to the NHL alive. As draft night approaches, he knows that when his name is called, his mother will be there with him in spirit, even if she cannot be there in person.

2025 NHL Draft

Matthew Schaeffer

NHL

NHL Draft

Devavrat Kulkarni

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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!