Islanders' Matthew Schaefer on verge of rookie record

New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer (48) celebrates with the crowd after the victory over the Florida Panthers during the third period at UBS Arena. Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images

Islanders' Matthew Schaefer reaches milestone, on verge of rookie record

By Mike J. Asti | Last updated Mar 1, 2026 10:59 PM ET

With 21 games left in the regular season after Sunday, New York Islanders rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer is putting together a season that may go down as the greatest ever for a first-year player on the blue line.

And in New York's 5-4 win over the Florida Panthers, Schaefer, 18, added two more goals to his season tally and hit a significant career milestone. Schaefer now has exactly 20 goals on the season, placing him on the verge of history.

Matthew Schaefer is on the verge of breaking a long-standing record

With three more goals, Schaefer will tie Hockey Hall of Famer Brian Leetch for the single-season record for rookie defenseman. And he's well on his way to breaking the record - he has seven goals in his last eight games.

Schaefer also became the first rookie of any position to reach the mark this season, marking the first time in league history that a defenseman was the first rookie to score 20 goals.

Matthew Schaefer this season:

61 games
20 goals
44 points
+14 plus-minus
24:07 time on ice per game

Pretty good for an 18-year-old defenseman. pic.twitter.com/oAknBRFaRr
— NHL (@NHL) March 2, 2026

Schaefer is in the middle of one of the best rookie seasons ever

Making an immediate impact after being drafted as the No. 1 overall pick of the most recent 2025 NHL Draft, the Hamilton, Ontario, Canada native also has 24 assists for 44 points and is a cumulative +14 in his 61 games of his debut season in the NHL.

Schaefer has logged an average of 24:07 minutes on the ice per game as a rookie, shouldering a lot of responsibility for a team looking ahead to a playoff run.

MATTHEW SCHAEFER SCORES AGAIN TO HIT 20 GOALS‼️

He now has seven goals in his last eight games!

: @espn ➡️ https://t.co/m0LyTCHYnH pic.twitter.com/J7dnnYjsZk
— NHL (@NHL) March 2, 2026

Schaefer has made the Islanders a legitimate contender

In addition to having a historic individual season, Schaefer's imposing play on both ends of the ice has propelled the Islanders into contention.

After failing to make the playoffs last season, New York is now 35-21-5 and sitting in third in the Eastern Conference's Metropolitan Division. The Islanders have 75 team points — the same number as the Pittsburgh Penguins, but have played two more games to this point.

Mike J. Asti

Mike Asti is an experienced media personality and journalist with a vast resume and skillset, most notably from time with TribLIVE Radio and WPXI-TV. Asti now serves as the Managing Editor of WV Sports Now, where he leads the coverage of WVU sports. He has also covered the Steelers, Penguins, Pirates and other teams within the Pittsburgh market

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