The NHL.com Fantasy team continues to cover the latest league trends and storylines through the lens of NHL EDGE Puck and player tracking statistics. Today we take a look at the early prowess of rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer.
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Matthew Schaefer made an immediate impact on the New York Islanders early in his rookie season and ranked near the top in various NHL EDGE statistical categories.
Schaefer, the first overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, became the youngest defenseman (18 years, 34 days) to play an NHL game and the fourth 18-year-old in history to record points in each of his first six games, joining Wayne Gretzky (1979-80 with the Edmonton Oilers), Alexandre Daigle (1993-94 with the Ottawa Senators) and Sidney Crosby. (2005-06 with the Pittsburgh Penguins). On Sunday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Schaefer became the youngest defenseman in NHL history with a multi-goal game, a mark previously held by Boston Bruins defenseman Bobby Orr (18 years, 248 days) on November 23, 1966.
Schaefer has played more than 25 minutes in four of his 12 games this season and is tied with Ivan Demidov Montreal Canadiens for the most points by an NHL rookie this season (10 each). In terms of games played (12), he is the fastest defender to be selected first overall to reach 10 career points.
With the Islanders picking up points in seven of their last nine games (6-2-1), here are three reasons underlying Schaefer’s early prowess and rapid rise to the top of the Calder Trophy race:
1. Skating speed
Schaefer ranks just outside the top 10 in the entire NHL for speed bursts over 20 miles per hour (46), behind the usual group of advanced speedsters, including Connor McDavid (109; first), Nathan MacKinnon (77; second) and Jack Eichel (54; eighth). Schaefer’s total in this category leads all defensemen, even ahead of Cale Makar (33 in 13 games), who played one extra game and led the League at the position last season (206).
Schaefer reached his peak skating speed (22.93 mph) of the season against the Hurricanes on October 30, tied for seventh among NHL defensemen. The only player at his position with more 22 mph than Schaefer (four) is Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson (five).
