Reid Schaefer

Reid Schaefer (born September 21, 2003) is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger for the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Schaefer was drafted 32nd overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, but he was traded to Nashville the following season.

Reid Schaefer
Schaefer during a 2022 preseason game with the Edmonton Oilers
Born (2003-09-21) September 21, 2003
Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 213 lb (97 kg; 15 st 3 lb)
Position Left wing
Shoots Left
NHL team (P)
Cur. team		 Nashville Predators
Milwaukee Admirals (AHL)
NHL Draft 32nd overall, 2022
Edmonton Oilers
Playing career 2023–present

Early life

Schaefer was born on September 21, 2003, in Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada[1] to father Jeremy. He was born into an athletic family as his father and cousin both played ice hockey. His father was drafted by the National Hockey League's (NHL) Boston Bruins after playing five years in the Western Hockey League. As well, his cousin Colin Fraser was a third-round draft pick by the Philadelphia Flyers.[2]

Playing career

Growing up in Alberta, Schaefer played with the Edmonton Okanagan Hockey Academy (OHA) Bantam Prep Team in the Canadian Sports School Hockey League. During the 2017–18 season, he tallied 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points through 27 games.[3] After being drafted in the eighth round by the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League (WHL), Schaefer returned to the OHA Edmonton Elite where he accumulated 24 points through 34 games.[4] Following his second season with the OHA prep team, Schaefer signed a WHL Standard Player Agreement with the Thunderbirds on September 2, 2018.[3] Schaefer played seven games with the Thunderbirds before the COVID-19 pandemic caused the WHL to pause play for the season.[1] Due to the pause, Schaefer played with the Spruce Grove Saints in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) during the 2019–20 season, where tallied 6 goals and 16 points while accumulating 32 penalty minutes.[5]

Schaefer played his first full season with the Thunderbirds during the 2021–22 season where he scored 32 goals and 58 points in 66 regular season games.[1] He began the season with low expectations as a 'C' ranked prospect on NHL Central Scouting Bureau's (CSS) preliminary ‘Players to Watch’ list for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.[6] His ranking climbed as the season progressed, which Schaefer credited to his work during the offseason. After tallying 32 goals in 66 games, Schaefer jumped to 31st amongst North American skaters by the CSS.[7] As the Thunderbirds qualified for the WHL playoffs, Oilers scouts encouraged General Manager Ken Holland to attend the WHL final games in Edmonton and observe Schaefer play. Leading up to the draft, Schaefer drew comparisons to Zack Kassian and was described as having "a legit skill, scoring touch and tenacity" who is destined to be a middle-six winger.[8] As a result of his play and jump in rankings, Schaefer was selected 32nd overall in the first round of the Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers.[9] Following the draft, GM Holland praised Schaefer for being a strong competitive big player who could play at the NHL level within two to three years.[10]

Following the draft, Schaefer signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Oilers and took part in their Development Camp.[11] He also participated in the Oilers' rookie camp where he worked on his strength and explosiveness when skating.[12] He completed training camp with the Oilers before being returned to the Thunderbirds for the 2022–23 season.[13] He never played for the Oilers, as on February 28, 2023, Schaefer was traded to the Nashville Predators. Going with him were Tyson Barrie, a 2023 first round pick and a 2024 fourth round pick, in exchange for Mattias Ekholm and a 2023 sixth round pick.[14] The Thunderbirds won the WHL championship Ed Chynoweth Cup and reached the final of the 2023 Memorial Cup, but were defeated there by the Quebec Remparts.[15]

International play
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place2023 Canada

On December 12, 2022, Schaefer was named to the Team Canada roster for the 2023 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[16] During the tournament, he recorded one assist in seven games and won a gold medal with Canada in the final against Czechia.[17]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2019–20 Spruce Grove Saints AJHL 336101632 20002
2019–20 Seattle Thunderbirds WHL 70119 —————
2020–21 Spruce Grove Saints AJHL 30002 —————
2020–21 Seattle Thunderbirds WHL 1802214 —————
2021–22 Seattle Thunderbirds WHL 6632265888 256152132
2022–23 Seattle Thunderbirds WHL 5528336192 198111924
WHL totals 1466062122203 4414264056

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2023 Canada WJC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 70112
Junior totals 70112

References
  1. "Reid Schaefer". Elite Prospects. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  2. "2022 DRAFT PROSPECTS: NHL TIES AND BLOODLINES" (PDF). National Hockey League. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  3. "T-Birds Sign Reid Schaefer". Seattle Thunderbirds. September 2, 2018. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  4. Kurtti, Jesse (April 1, 2019). "Setttle's Look Toward The Future". DUBNetwork. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  5. "Former Saint Reid Schaefer Drafted 32rd [sic] Overall By The Edmonton Oilers". Spruce Grove Saints. July 7, 2022. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  6. "WHL Championship: Game 1 Player to Watch – Reid Schaefer". Western Hockey League. June 3, 2022. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  7. Masters, Mark (June 24, 2022). "Schaefer 'mauled' by NHL interviews after strong season in Seattle". The Sports Network. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  8. Nugent-Bowman, Daniel (July 9, 2022). "Oilers first-round pick Reid Schaefer can bring 'big-boy hockey' to his hometown team". The Athletic. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  9. Umbach, Jamie (July 8, 2022). "DRAFT: Schaefer sees lifelong dream of being an Oiler come true". National Hockey League. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  10. Umbach, Jamie (July 8, 2022). "DRAFT: Schaefer fit the mold for Oilers scouting staff". National Hockey League. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  11. "RELEASE: Oilers sign Reid Schaefer to entry-level contract". National Hockey League. July 15, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  12. Arcuri, Michael (September 14, 2022). "ROOKIE CAMP: Oilers prospects sizing up". National Hockey League. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  13. Tychkowski, Robert (September 27, 2022). "First-round pick Schaefer makes big first impression with Edmonton Oilers". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  14. "Edmonton Oilers acquire Mattias Ekholm from Nashville Predators for Tyson Barrie". TSN. 2023-02-28. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  15. "Québec Remparts cap off impressive season by winning 2023 Memorial Cup". Canadian Hockey League. June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  16. Kimelman, Adam (December 12, 2022). "2023 World Junior Championship rosters". NHL.com. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  17. Umbach, Jamie (2023-01-05). "FUTURE WATCH: Schaefer, Canada claim gold at World Juniors". NHL.com. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
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