As Schaefer’s NHL prospects rose in 2023 while he was playing for the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League, his billet mom, Emily Matson, died by an apparent suicide. Months later, his mother, Jennifer, died following a two-year battle with breast cancer. The following December, Otters owner Jim Waters died unexpectedly of a heart attack.

He is the total package as a skater. He has a phenomenal top gear and will push the pace with the puck through open ice. He loves to activate on the rush, and he can afford to, as his straight-line speed affords him the ability to quickly rotate back to the points or catch up on the backcheck.