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
The 2022 NHL Entry Draft was the 60th NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held on July 7–8, 2022, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. Montreal were originally scheduled to host the 2020 draft but were unable to do so due to the COVID-19 pandem ...
, but he was traded to Nashville the following season.
Early life
Schaefer was born on September 21, 2003, in
Spruce Grove,
Alberta, Canada
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 Colin Fraser may refer to:
*Colin Fraser (Australian politician) (died 1877), Australian politician
*Colin Fraser (Canadian politician) (born 1978), Canadian politician
* Colin Fraser (ice hockey) (born 1985), Canadian professional ice hockey playe ...
was a third-round draft pick by the
Philadelphia Flyers.
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.
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. Following his second season with the OHA prep team, Schaefer signed a WHL Standard Player Agreement with the Thunderbirds on September 2, 2018.
Schaefer played seven games with the Thunderbirds before the
COVID-19 pandemic caused the WHL to
pause play for the season.
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.
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.
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
The 2022 NHL Entry Draft was the 60th NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held on July 7–8, 2022, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. Montreal were originally scheduled to host the 2020 draft but were unable to do so due to the COVID-19 pandem ...
.
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. As the Thunderbirds qualified for the WHL playoffs, Oilers scouts encouraged General Manager
Ken Holland
Kenneth Mark Holland (born November 10, 1955) is a Canadian-American ice hockey executive and former goaltender. Holland is currently the president of hockey operations and general manager of the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League. H ...
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.
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. 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.
Following the draft, Schaefer signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Oilers and took part in their Development Camp. He also participated in the Oilers' rookie camp where he worked on his strength and explosiveness when skating. He completed training camp with the Oilers before being returned to the Thunderbirds for the
2022–23 season. 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
Mattias Hans Ekholm (born 24 May 1990) is a Swedish ice hockey defenceman
Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from scoring. They are often ...
and a 2023 sixth round pick. The Thunderbirds won the WHL championship
Ed Chynoweth Cup and reached the final of the
2023 Memorial Cup
The 2023 Memorial Cup (branded as the 2023 Memorial Cup presented by Kia for sponsorship reasons) was a four-team round-robin format ice hockey tournament held at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops, British Columbia, from May 26 to June 4, 2023 ...
, but were defeated there by the
Quebec Remparts.
International play
On December 12, 2022, Schaefer was named to the
Team Canada Canadian National Team or Team Canada may refer to:
Canada at multi-sport events
* Canada at the Olympics
* Canada at the Paralympics
* Canada at the Commonwealth Games
* Canada at the Pan American Games
Canada's national sport teams
* Canada me ...
roster for the
2023 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
The 2023 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships are the 47th edition of the IIHF World Junior Championship, scheduled to be held from December 26, 2022 through January 5, 2023 in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Moncton, New Brunswick.
They were origina ...
. During the tournament, he recorded one assist in seven games and won a gold medal with Canada in the final against
Czechia.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schaefer, Reid
2003 births
Living people
Canadian ice hockey left wingers
Edmonton Oilers draft picks
Ice hockey people from Alberta
Milwaukee Admirals players
NHL first-round draft picks
People from Spruce Grove
Seattle Thunderbirds players
Spruce Grove Saints players