Schaefer’s comfort level growing, poised to build on big season with Islanders

TORONTO -- In a way, it feels like Matthew Schaefer has been around forever. But somehow, he is still only 18 years old.

It’s the way he quickly established himself as a top defenseman in the NHL in his rookie season with the New York Islanders, becoming the unanimous winner of the Calder Trophy this season.

It’s the way he effortlessly served as a special correspondent on Sportsnet’s coverage of the first round of the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft on Friday, interviewing prospects and providing analysis just one year after being selected No. 1 by the Islanders at the 2025 NHL Draft.

It’s the way he looked as comfortable as can be during a recent taping of “The Price Is Right Tonight,” where he helped a contestant navigate their way through the game show.

A few months ago, along with the help of Matt Martin’s daughters, he participated in a video put out by the NHL, taking the complicated process of the NHL Draft Lottery and explaining it in a way that even the most mathematically challenged person could easily understand.

He has become as incredible an ambassador for the game off the ice as he is an electrifying player on it. And he does not turn 19 until September 5.

“I’ve learned so much in the last year whether it’s in life or in hockey,” the Hamilton, Ontario, native told NHL.com at a taping of “The Price Is Right Tonight” in Toronto recently. “It’s crazy to think I’ve played my first year in the NHL already. I’ve learned so much from the coaching staff, my teammates and everyone in the Islanders organization. My family and friends are always behind me every step of the way and they supported me so much.

“Having a great support system is one of the biggest things you need, so being able to just be yourself and go out there and have fun and worry about hockey and being a good person, probably the biggest thing to me is just having a positive mindset.”

Schaefer became the first unanimous winner of the Calder Trophy since Teemu Selanne in 1992-93. In addition, he became the youngest defenseman in NHL history with a point in his debut, the youngest defenseman in NHL history with a power-play goal, a game-winning goal, an overtime goal and a multigoal game, and he set the record for goals (23) and points (59) in NHL history by an 18-year-old defenseman. There is more but the list is too long to cite.

Did he surpass even his own expectations in his rookie season?

“Yeah, 100 percent,” Schaefer said. “You don’t think of anything like that coming into the season. I just wanted to make the team, I took it step by step. You can’t get too far ahead of yourself. I wanted to get drafted and I was able to go to such an amazing team like the Islanders, and it just speaks volumes about how amazing they are as a team and the people that have gone through the organization. But my thought process was just the draft and then to rookie camp and then to main camp, and I just tried to get better every day and improve so when that first game hits, I wanted to be in that opening night roster.”

He credited a step-by-step approach in his rookie season that prevented him from getting overwhelmed.

“You want to play in the NHL, it’s the best League in the world with the best players in the world,” Schaefer said. “I took it step by step there and then as I went through season, my teammates helped me so much to achieve all those things, but at the end of the day, it’s not just me achieving those things, it’s our whole team because they’re the ones who helped me so much.”

As he heads into his second season in the fall, he is not ready to rest on the lofty accomplishments from his rookie season. Schaefer said a big reason why he feels he can improve is the comfort level he has established with the Islanders and the belief that he now knows he belongs in the NHL.

“Our coaching staff is sending me all those things I can work on so whether it’s in the gym getting bigger, stronger and faster or on the ice improving a lot of things, being able to get that extra step and extra level to my game that maybe I can improve on for next year,” he said. “There’s always things I’m looking to learn but it will be a lot better knowing all my teammates, not going in as a new guy so I can go in like it’s my home, like everyone has made it feel for me. I can’t wait.”

Schaefer said he intends to live with Martin and his family again. Jokingly, he said he hopes to do so until he is 30.

One of the biggest differences for Schaefer will be playing under new coach Pete DeBoer, who took over after Patrick Roy was fired with four games remaining in the season.

“Pete is just so smart and knows how to coach a game,” Schaefer said. “He’s super chill on the bench. He’ll come up and tell you, ‘You could have done this,’ but at the end of the day, he is just super relaxed and super calm where we can do our stuff. But he will always come up and help us and make us better players.”

Schaefer said it still bothers him that the Islanders missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs despite being in a playoff spot as late as April 4.

He was clear a playoff spot should be the expectation next season.

“One hundred percent, you don’t just want to play in the season and end early,” Schaefer said. “You want to win the Stanley Cup, that’s the biggest thing. Making playoffs is a good start, but we just have to think about the start of the season and have a great start so you can keep it going so that by the end of the season, we’re in the playoffs and then we can focus on that.”