Mathieu Darche called the shots from the makeshift war room in the Islanders’ dressing room at UBS Arena. Just a few dozen yards away, a packed house of fans reacted to his every move.
Fans filled the arena’s floor and the lower bowl for Friday’s NHL draft party as the Islanders began a new era by selecting Matthew Schaefer with the top pick.
The clear sentiments from those in attendance: excitement and optimism at the selections of Schaefer, Victor Eklund (16th overall) and Kashawn Aitcheson (17th), mixed with a tinge of disappointment that Darche could not trade up for Long Island native James Hagens.
There was little surprise or shock from the crowd when the Islanders took Schaefer, but that did nothing to subdue the raucous cheers when the team officially picked the 17-year-old defenseman from Stoney Creek, Ontario.
