Islanders Matthew Schaefer Shines in Remarkable Rookie Season

A lucky lottery pick is turning into pure gold for the New York Islanders, as 18-year-old Matthew Schaefer just keeps making NHL history.

The young defenseman scored twice in Thursday’s thrilling 4-3 overtime victory against Montreal, pushing his season total to 18 goals – more than any 18-year-old defenseman has ever scored in NHL history.

That’s not just any record. Schaefer also broke a decades-old Islanders mark set by Hall of Famer Denis Potvin for most goals by a rookie defenseman.

It’s pretty amazing considering the Islanders weren’t even trying to tank last season. They just got lucky in the 2025 draft lottery and landed the first overall pick.

Now that stroke of luck is looking like a franchise-changing moment.

Schaefer isn’t just leading the race for Rookie of the Year – he’s showing all the signs of becoming the kind of player teams can build around for years to come. His ceiling? It seems sky-high right now.

The way he’s playing, that number one pick might turn out to be one of the luckiest breaks in Islanders history. And with most of the season still ahead, there’s no telling what other records this teenage sensation might break.