Trophy Tracker: Schaefer of Islanders choice for Calder as top rookie

To mark the final week of the 2025-26 regular season, NHL.com is running its fifth installment of the Trophy Tracker series this week. Today, we look at the race for the Calder Trophy, given annually to the best rookie in the NHL as selected in a poll by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Matthew Schaefer's record-setting pace in his first NHL season with the New York Islanders has captivated many, including Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Brian Leetch.

"He's so fun to watch," Leetch said. "He skates differently than Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes. They go about it differently but Schaefer ... I guess it's the longer strides and the way he holds on to the puck that looks different than Makar and Hughes and he's having fun.

"You're supposed to be having fun when you're that young, but still it is fun to watch as an ex-defenseman that can enjoy good skaters. He's not Paul Coffey because he was different, and he's not Scott Niedermayer; he's just his own type in the way he sees the play, the way he competes."

Schaefer is also NHL.com's favorite for the Calder Trophy entering the final week of the regular season after receiving 79 voting points (15 first-place votes) from a 16-person panel.

Montreal Canadiens forward Ivan Demidov was second in the voting with 54 points (one first-place vote), and Anaheim Ducks forward Beckett Sennecke was third (52).

Schaefer tied Leetch for most goals by a rookie defenseman in NHL history on Thursday in the second period of a 5-3 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs, his 79th game. Leetch scored 23 goals in 68 games in 1988-89.

"He's going to be a pain in the neck for the New York Rangers for a long time," said Leetch, who played 17 of his 18 NHL seasons with the Rangers (1987-2004).

Ditto for the 31 other NHL teams looking to devise a plan against Schaefer.

"He's a special player, but he's also got a special personality," Islanders coach Peter DeBoer said. "He's got a confidence to him and looks you in the eye when he talks to you. He's not afraid to get in a conversation like a lot of young players are ... he's got that quiet confidence. Macklin Celebrini has the same thing being around him (as an assistant coach for Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics)."I told the coaching staff in there, they've seen him every night this year, so you probably get a little bit numb to it. But for me, watching him from the bench live, it was just, ‘Wow.’ I mean, what a player."

Schaefer, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, leads all first-year defensemen in assists (36), points (59), power-play points (18), shots on goal (217), and average ice time (24:41), and is first among all rookies in penalties drawn (38).

He passed Phil Housley (57 points in 66 games, 1982-83) for the most points by an 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history. He also passed Stefan Persson (56 points in 1977-78) for the highest single-season total by a rookie defenseman in Islanders history.

DeBoer, who replaced Patrick Roy as Islanders coach on April 5, said Schaefer was so impressive during his scouting for the Olympics that he was close to being named to Canada’s roster.

"I ran the defense at the Olympics for Team Canada and did a lot of scouting," he said. "The management group included me in all the management selection meetings. We watched very closely all the defensemen in the League, and honestly, I couldn't believe my eyes the first half of the year what I was seeing from an 18-year-old.

"The maturity in his game and how dynamic he was. ... He was within a razor of being on that Olympic team at 18. I'm really excited to work with him and get to know him as a young man."

Demidov, selected No. 5 in the 2024 NHL Draft, is first among rookies in points (62) and assists (43) in 81 games. He averages 15:26 of ice time and is first among all first-year players with 20 power-play points (seven goals, 13 assists). He was named the NHL's Rookie of the Month for December after leading all first-year players with 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 15 games.

Sennecke is tied with Schaefer for the rookie lead in goals (23), is second in points (60) and first in even-strength points (46) in 80 games while averaging 17:31 of ice time. He had a goal and an assist in a 5-1 win against the Islanders on March 4 to become the first NHL rookie to reach 50 points this season and the fastest rookie in Ducks history (61 games), besting the mark set by Bobby Ryan (69 games).

Voting totals (points awarded on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis): Matthew Schaefer, Islanders, 79 points (15 first-place votes); Ivan Demidov, Canadiens, 54 (one first-place vote); Beckett Sennecke, Ducks, 52; Jakub Dobes, Canadiens, 19; Jimmy Snuggerud, St. Louis Blues, 11; Jesper Wallstedt, Minnesota Wild, 8; Ben Kindel, Pittsburgh Penguins, 5; Fraser Minten, Boston Bruins, 5; Ryan Leonard, Washington Capitals, 4; Oliver Kapanen, Canadiens, 2; Alexander Nikishin, Carolina Hurricanes, 1