In perhaps the most “Well, duh” moment of the season so far, New York Islanders GM Mathieu Darche has confirmed that defenseman Matthew Schaefer will not be loaned to Canada’s World Junior team.

Schaefer still has two years of World Junior eligibility and even took part in the World Junior Summer Showcase back in August. But with Schaefer serving as the runaway favorite to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie, there was no chance the Islanders were going to send him to Minnesota this winter.

In fact, Schaefer appears to be on Canada’s radar for the Olympics instead. The 18-year-old has recently been added to the team’s drug testing protocol, which would allow him to play for his nation when the action kicks off Feb. 11 in Milan, Italy.

Canada has had a handful of 18-year-olds on their Olympic teams in the event’s longstanding history, with Eric Lindros leading the way with 11 points in eight games in 1992. But nobody that age has ever made the team while being an active NHLer – something Schaefer is hoping to achieve in a few months’ time.

The former Erie Otters star has 15 points in 23 games with the Islanders after going first overall back in June. Schaefer represented Canada twice internationally in 2024-25, winning gold at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup before putting up two points in his World Junior debut on Dec. 26. He was injured early in the first period against Latvia and didn’t return for the rest of the season.

Canada will kick off its training camp in Niagara Falls, Ontario on Dec. 13, with a pair of exhibition games against Sweden in Kitchener and London making it onto the schedule. The team will kick off the tournament in Minnesota on Dec. 26 against Czechia, the team that eliminated them in the quarterfinals in each of the past two World Junior tournaments.

The Calgary Flames are expected to loan Zayne Parekh for the two-week tournament after Hockey Canada elected to leave him off the roster a year ago.

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