The right spot for Johnny
Johnathon Schaefer isn’t a typical overage player in the Ontario Hockey League.
With teams permitted to only carry three players in their 20-year-old season, OA slots are often occupied by players looking to secure a pro contract such as a Jordan Maletta, or a sniper like Sam Miletic, who wasn’t deemed quite ready for the NHL.
Schaefer doesn’t fit into any of those categories, but that doesn’t mean the Stoney Creek native is without value.
Far from it, it’s Schaefer’s willingness to do whatever the Niagara IceDogs require of him, as well as his ability as a shutdown type of defender, that has secured him a spot in his final year of OHL eligibility.
“Johnny Schaefer does a lot of things behind the scenes the average person may not notice,” IceDogs coach Billy Burke said. “He’s a great teammate, a strong leader for the younger guys, and his on-ice play is underrated.
“He’s a warrior and he knows what he is. He takes pride in his defence. He’ll block shots and hit and fight if he has to and he has good little skills and he’s a good passer.”
Burke is aware Schaefer doesn’t fit the bill as the typical OA.
“He doesn’t quite get the recognition he deserves because he’s not the flashiest OA and he’s not 6-foot-5, but he’s very solid and very reliable.”
Schaefer, who was Niagara’s sixth pick (114th overall) in the 2014 draft, was thrilled to be given the opportunity to extend his career one more season.
“I always wanted to come back for sure,” he said. “I knew we were going to make a run for it and I wanted to be an asset to this team.”
Schaefer, who knew it may have been a tight squeeze considering his age and the fact the IceDogs went into the off season with upwards of 10 OHL-calbre rearguards, went above and beyond this summer to make sure he gave himself the best chance to return.
“I just worked my tail off over the summer and kept texting the coaches that I wanted to be here and they kept informing me they had no plans to dish me off,” he said. “They told me to just do my thing and I would be good.”
Sure enough, the IceDogs dealt Justin MacPherson and Daniel Nardi, while Willy Lochead retired, opening up a spot for the former Caledonia Corvair.
“It made me feel amazing and showed they had trust in me,” Schaefer said.
Schaefer came into his own in the second half of last season when he discovered his game.
“Being a small D, I’ve not much of a point guy. They love having D that are offensive and can put up points but they told me to just keep doing what I did in the second half of the season and show I can shutdown in the D zone,” he said. “If I can be out there whenever they need me, then I would be a big asset to the team and they need guys like me to win championships so that was definitely a good thing to hear.”
Schaefer has two goals and 25 points in 122 career games, so concentrating on being a stable player in his own end played into his strengths.
“Burke said to me last year we would rather you pick between being offensive or defensive and do one of those things outstanding rather than do both mediocre,” he said. “Hearing those things from him made me realize it is easy if I just do my job and go out there and play my game.”
Burke appreciates Schaefer’s willingness to think defence first.
“It’s not fantasy hockey out there. You don’t always want six power play guys because there’s not that much power play to go around,” Burke said. “You need guys who are strong in their own end, embrace a penalty kill role, and who aren’t in our office every day asking for power play time.
“He’s a legitimate veteran in this league and would do anything for the team and a true team-first guy like that certainly builds the culture we want.”
Schaefer got off to a strong start in Niagara’s 8-5 win at Mississauga Sunday collecting an assist while registering a plus-four.
The IceDogs are in Peterborough Thursday and home to Kingston Friday for their home opener.
Dog food: Drew Hunter remains week-to-week while Liam Ham is day-to-day . . . Akil Thomas of the IceDogs is the OHL Player of the Week for the opening week ending September 23 scoring a goal with four assists for five points along with a plus-minus rating of plus-3 recorded in just one game played.
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