NHL EDGE stats: Schaefer making immediate impact for Islanders

NHL.com's fantasy staff continues to cover the latest trends and storylines in the League through the lens of NHL EDGE puck and player tracker stats. Today, we look at the early prowess of rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer.

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Matthew Schaefer is making an immediate impact for the New York Islanders early on in his rookie season and ranks near the top of the charts in various NHL EDGE stats categories.

Schaefer, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, leads all rookies in points (15) and all defensemen in the NHL in goals (seven) this season. With his overtime goal against the Utah Mammoth on Friday, Schaefer became the youngest player (18 years, 70 days) in NHL history to score a regular-season overtime goal, overtaking Sidney Crosby (18 years, 101 days) and became the third-youngest player in the past 80 years to score a goal in consecutive games, as well as the youngest defensemen in NHL history to achieve the feat.

Schaefer became the youngest such defenseman (18 years, 34 days) to play an NHL game and the fourth 18-year-old in history to have points in each of his first six games, joining Wayne Gretzky (1979-80 with the Edmonton Oilers), Alexandre Daigle (1993-94 with the Ottawa Senators) and Sidney Crosby (2005-06 with the Pittsburgh Penguins). On Nov. 2 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Schaefer became the youngest defenseman in NHL history with a multi-goal game, a mark that was previously held by Boston Bruins defenseman Bobby Orr (18 years, 248 days) on Nov. 23, 1966.

Schaefer leads rookies in average ice time (22:37; leads Islanders), is tied for first among defensemen in power-play points (seven) and leads rookies in power-play goals (four). He also became the fastest defenseman selected No. 1 overall to reach 10 career points (12 games).

With the Islanders (10-6-2, 22 points) on a four-game winning streak and three points back of first place in the Metropolitan Division, here are three underlying reasons behind Schaefer’s early prowess and rapid rise to the top of the Calder Trophy race:

1. Skating speed

Schaefer leads all defensemen in the entire NHL in 20-plus mile per hour speed bursts (65) and is tied with Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche and Jake Sanderson of the Ottawa Senators for the second-most 22-plus mph bursts (five), two behind Erik Karlsson of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Schaefer reached his max skating speed (22.93 mph) of the season against the Hurricanes on Oct. 30, tied for the ninth-highest mark among NHL defensemen.

2. Skating distance, shots by location

Schaefer became the first Islanders teenager to reach 27 minutes of ice time in a single game (27:40 against the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 25) since that statistic was first tracked in 1997-98.

Schaefer has been a workhorse in his brief NHL career, reaching the three-mile mark in six straight games. He leads all Islanders players in total skating distance (59.69 miles; 93rd percentile among defensemen) and his 4.03 miles skated against the Flyers on Oct. 25 ranks in the League's 91st percentile among defensemen in a single game this season.

Schaefer leads NHL defensemen in power-play goals (four) and ranks third in shots on goal (54; trailing only Zach Werenski's 61 and Jakob Chychrun's 55). Each of his first two career goals were from high-danger zones of the ice; he is one of four defensmen with multiple high-danger goals this season (others: Jakob Chychrun of the Washington Capitals, Denton Mateychuk of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Jacob Trouba of the Anaheim Ducks). Schaefer is tied for second in the entire NHL in long-range goals (three) and ranks highly at his position in shots on goal from each major shot location category:

• High-danger shots on goal: 7 (99th percentile; third)
• Midrange shots on goal: 18 (99th percentile; third)
• Long-range shots on goal: 20 (94th percentile)

3. Offensive zone time percentage

Schaefer is among the top defensemen in the NHL in offensive zone time percentage at all strengths (44.2 percent; 81st percentile). He also ranks highly at his position in offensive zone time percentage on the power play (61.1 percent; 86th percentile) and on the penalty kill (33.1 percent; 77th percentile).

Schaefer has been on the ice for 28 of the Islanders' 60 goals scored (46.7 percent) this season, second most on the team behind Bo Horvat (32) and most among NHL rookies.

The Calder Trophy, awarded annually to the top rookie in the NHL, never has been won by defensemen in back-to-back seasons during the League’s expansion era (since 1967-68). After Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson won the Calder last season, Schaefer already is building a strong case for the trophy and living up to lofty expectations early and often -- even with such a heavy workload.