Matthew Schaefer keeps proving why he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
The New York Islanders' rookie scored again on Saturday, and he keeps climbing up the hockey record boards.
His goal Saturday was his ninth of the season.
That already ranks fourth all-time among 18-year old defenseman.
Schaefer has played 33 games, putting him on pace to score 22 goals.
If he reaches that mark, it'll be an all-time record for an 18-year old defenseman.
Buffalo's Phil Housley holds the current record at 19. Bobby Orr scored 13 at this age.
Here's the chart:
Matthew Schaefer scored yesterday and now has 9 goals, already tied for 4th most ever by an 18-year old defenseman.
— Mike Kelly (@MikeKellyNHL) December 14, 2025
He's on pace to beat Phil Housley's NHL record of 19. Hard to appreciate what he's doing, at his age, in real time. Pic.twitter.com/vBUTRVPeFz
It can sometimes be tough to gauge the impact of a young defenseman.
That hasn't been the case with Schaefer. The eye test matches the stat sheet.
He's special, and he's only going to keep getting better.
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