The National Hockey League announced on May 5 that New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer is one of three finalists for the Calder Memorial Trophy, along with Ivan Demidov of the Montreal Canadiens and Beckett Sennecke of the Anaheim Ducks. The Calder Memorial Trophy is awarded each year to “the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League.”
The winner will be chosen by a poll conducted among members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association at the end of the regular season.
Schaefer, who is 18 years old, completed a notable rookie season by recording 59 points with 23 goals and 36 assists over 82 games. He tied Brian Leetch’s record for most goals by a rookie defenseman in a single season and set new league records for most points by an 18-year-old defenseman, average time on ice per game (24:41) by an 18-year-old skater, and most overtime points (4) by a teenage defenseman. On March 24, he played nearly thirty-two minutes—31:59—the highest single-game ice time recorded for any NHL teenager since tracking began.
Schaefer also became the youngest defenseman in NHL history to reach both twenty goals and fifty points within one season. He was first among all rookies this year in average time on ice (24:41), power-play goals (8), and shots on goal (222). Within team records, he set franchise highs for several categories including most goals and points by a rookie defenseman.
His achievements have earned him recognition throughout his debut campaign. Schaefer was named “First Star” during early March after tallying five points over three games with a +5 rating. He was also selected as “Rookie of the Month” for October following eight points across eleven games to start his career.
Schaefer is now the ninth Islander to be named a finalist for this award; previous winners from New York include Mat Barzal, Bryan Berard, Mike Bossy, Bryan Trottier, and Denis Potvin. The Islanders drafted Schaefer first overall in last year’s draft.
