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Junior roomies Malcolm Spence, Matthew Schaefer set to join Rangers-Islanders rivalry
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- Junior roomies Malcolm Spence, Matthew Schaefer set to join Rangers-Islanders rivalry
Malcolm Spence and Matthew Schaefer were teammates and roommates with Erie of the Ontario Hockey League. But they'll be on opposite sides of the New York Rangers ' rivalry with the New York Islanders after each was taken with his new team's first pick at the 2025 NHL Draft in Los Angeles .
The Islanders selected Schaefer, a defenseman, with the No. 1 pick on Friday night. The Rangers , who didn't have a first-round selection, chose Spence on Saturday with their second-rounder, the 43rd overall pick.
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Schaefer took a jab at the Rangers a few minutes after being chosen, not knowing that his roomie would soon be a Blueshirt the next day.
"I've heard a lot about that rivalry," Schaefer told the NHL Draft Class podcast. "I hate losing, so I'm looking forward to going and just beating them every time we play them."
He and Spence have played together with Erie for the past two seasons. Now they're in line to be rivals.
"He's one of my closest friends, and you want to have your buddies succeed, but a little awkward now with the Rangers and Islanders," Spence said.
Their friendship/rivalry wouldn't be unique. Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin and his Islanders counterpart, Ilya Sorokin , compete fiercely on the ice but have been buddies since their days playing in Russia. But they square off at opposite ends of the ice and don't have to make contact with each other, as Spence and Schaefer will when they face each other.
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Junior roommates Spence, Schaefer join Rangers-Islanders rivalry
Spence didn't immediately put the Rangers-Islanders rivalry angle together – he didn't make the connection until a reporter asked him about Schaefer and their relationship.
"The second you said it I was thinking about it," Spence said. "It's a little rivalry now, but I know with 'Schaef', we want to be competitive so it's going to bring the best out of each other. I'm really excited for both of our careers."
The junior teammates won't face each other right away. Schaefer is likely to begin his career on Long Island in the fall, while Spence is headed for the University of Michigan – where he'll try to prove the rest of the League wrong for letting him slide into the second round. He was ranked 17th on NHL Central Scouting's final list of North American skaters, but 17 of the skaters ranked after him were selected before him in the draft.
"I think there were some expectations that were set for myself and obviously I went a little later than I thought I was going to go," Spence said. "For me, that's just going to be more motivation. I'm really happy that I'm the Rangers' first pick. To me, that shows they really believe in me. To go to an organization like that and play in front of that fan base in that city, it's something cool. I'm just really excited."
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Spence will see one friendly face at Rangers' development camp next week. He'll be with another Erie teammate, forward Carey Terrance, who was acquired on June 12 in the trade that sent longtime Rangers forward to the Anaheim Ducks.
Spence and Terrance played on the same line in Erie the past two seasons. Spence had 73 points (32 goals, 41 assists) in 65 games this season. Terrance, a 20-year-old who was taken by the Ducks with the 59th pick in 2023, had 39 points (20 goals, 19 assists) in 45 games.
GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE TIMES-NEWS / USA TODAY NETWORK
"That was my first thought when I put the jersey on, maybe I'll get to play with Carey again, which is pretty cool," Spence said. "Definitely will give him a call after this."
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Spence has gotten a taste of the Big Apple. His sister, Camille, a dancer and actress, recently graduated from Pace University, which has a campus in downtown Manhattan — a subway ride from Madison Square Garden.
"We were in New York for my sister's graduation, so we got to tour around there," he said. "We just went around the city, walked around. It's a pretty cool spot. Really excited to go there and be in the big NYC. It doesn't get better than being with the Rangers. It's New York City. You're in front of the bright lights and for me, I thrive playing in atmospheres like that."
Schaefer won't be far away at Islanders development camp — his first stop in trying in trying to live up to being the No. 1 pick in the draft.
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In the meantime, there will be texts and chirps — "We'll definitely have some words, for sure," Spence said.
They're still friends. But the rivalry is on.
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