21 Facts Behind Islanders Defenseman Matthew Schaefer’s Calder Trophy-Winning Season

New York Islanders rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer was named the 2025-26 Calder Trophy winner on Wednesday.

Schaefer became:

• The sixth Islanders player to win the Calder: Mathew Barzal (2018, Bryan Berard (1997), Mike Bossy (1978), Bryan Trottier (1976), and Denis Potvin (1974).

• The 13th first overall pick to win the Calder

• The eighth player to win the award during his age-18 season

• The fourth-ever defenseman to win the award

• The youngest Calder winning in NHL history at 18 years, 223 days old (Nathan MacKinnon, 2013-14 was 18 years, 224 days)t

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• The first unanimous Calder winner since Winnipeg Jets forward Teemu Selanne in 1993

• The youngest defenseman in NHL history to reach 20 goals and 50 points in a season

• The first rookie defenseman to score 20 goals and just the fourth rookie defenseman to ever reach that milestone

• The youngest player in league history to score an overtime goal

• The youngest blueliner to record a power-play goal, game-winning goal, multi-goal game, and have a point in his NHL debut

• The fifth Islanders rookie to play in all 82 games and just the third rookie defenseman in franchise history to do so

Schaefer:

• Recorded the most points by an 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history (59)

• Avegared 24:41, the most by an 18-year-old skater in NHL history

• Recorded the most overtime points by a teenager (4)

• Logged 31:59 TOI on March 24, the most by a teenager since TOI tracking began

• Led all rookies in average time on ice, power-play goals (8), and shots on goal (222), while tying for first in goals and overtime goals (2)

• Ranked second in goals (23), shots on goal (222), and power play goals (8) amongst all NHL defenseman

• Ranked ninth in takeaways (38)

• Drew 38 penalties, the most by a rookie defenseman since P.K. Subban (40 in 2010-11)

• Set the Islanders' rookie defenseman franchise record for goals, points, power-play goals, overtime goals, and game-winning goals

• Scored the sixth most goals by an Islanders defenseman in a season and the most by an Islanders blueliner since Denis Potvin (1981-1982)

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