There were a lot of hockey fans on Long Island who listed Matthew Schaefer among the things they were grateful for on Thanksgiving. The Islanders drafted Schaefer first overall in June, and he has already made an incredible impact on the ice. Off the ice, Schaefer is living with former Isles forward Matt Martin and his family. The rookie spoke with Stefen Rosner of The Elmonters about how Martin's family has helped him stay grounded this year.

“Yeah, honestly, they helped me stay kid a lot. We were watching The Polar Express last night and things like that,” Schaefer said. “I was talking to Marty, but I was like, they’re not my kids, but when I go on a long road trip and come home, it’s so good to see them and just do things with them. And whether it’s picking them up from school or dance class or things like that, it’s honestly fun. And I love it because it just brings you back to how excited you were when you could go to school and dance class and all those things with your friends and just enjoy it.

Schaefer continued, “And it’s really just all they’re doing, it’s being happy. I mean, they don’t have phones, they don’t have anything, so it’s honestly just happy kids doing fun things. It definitely brings you back to the old days.”

Article Continues Below

Rookies living with veterans as a way to get acclimated to NHL life is commonplace. San Jose Sharks star Macklin Celebrini lived with Hall of Famer Joe Thornton in his rookie season. Schaefer has a unique situation, as he joined the family around the same time as the Martins' twin sons, born over the summer. He is a professional hockey player and professional babysitter all at 18 years old, and the Islanders are certainly grateful for it.

The Islanders play the Philadelphia Flyers at 4 p.m. Eastern on Friday.