The New York Islanders may still need roster help to push their season where they want it to go, but they already have one piece you can build around for years: Matthew Schaefer.
The No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft followed up a historic rookie season with a strong start to Year 2, and through 12 games he’s been driving the Islanders in just about every direction. He’s producing, defending and carrying a heavy load for a team that has leaned hard on him from the jump.
That workload got even bigger after Alexander Romanov went down with an ACL tear. Against the Nashville Predators, Schaefer logged 32:16, the most ice time of his career. That number included all five minutes of overtime, when he stayed out for the full extra session before the shootout.
A five-minute shift is almost unheard of, but DeBoer trusted him anyway, and Schaefer delivered. Late in overtime, with less than a minute left, he used his speed to prevent the Predators from getting a clean look at Semyon Varlamov in transition and helped send the game to the shootout.
The kind of play doesn’t show up as a flashy number on the scoresheet, but it says plenty about how much Schaefer matters to this team. He’s become a genuine two-way difference maker, and DeBoer clearly views him as someone he can use in any situation.
Schaefer did show up on the scoresheet, too. He picked up an assist on Bo Horvat’s sixth goal of the season, which put the Islanders ahead 3-0 in the second period. That was his ninth assist of the year, giving him 11 points through 12 games.
He also finished with two shots on goal, one hit and two blocks as he tried to do everything possible to help Varlamov earn his first win in nearly two years.
The production has been rolling, with Schaefer collecting a point in five straight games, the second-longest streak of his career. The only real question now is whether this kind of workload can hold up. At 19, he’s got youth on his side, but the Islanders will need to find ways to protect him as the season goes on.
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Matthew Schaefer Is Putting An Untouchable NHL Teen Mark In Play
Matthew Schaefer has spent the opening stretch of his NHL career looking every bit like a player the Islanders can build around, and the numbers only deepen that impression. At 19, he has been close to a point per game, which is rare territory for any teenager in the league and even rarer when it comes with the kind of responsibility New York is already handing him.
The workload is part of what makes this feel so notable. Schaefer is getting major minutes for the Islanders, and if he keeps producing at anywhere near this pace, a long-standing teenager scoring benchmark could come into view before he turns 20 next year. There is still a lot of runway left, but for a young defenseman in his first NHL season, he has already put an eye-catching chase in motion. [Read more 🡒]
Matthew Schaefer Just Gave Islanders Fans Another Reason To Watch Closely
Matthew Schaefer keeps finding ways to stand out for the Islanders, and his latest night against Nashville was another reminder of how quickly he is becoming part of the conversation. In a game that needed extra time, the young defenseman was trusted in all the biggest moments, with coach Peter DeBoer praising the way he handled the workload and noting that his ice time led all Islanders defensemen.
The most striking part came in overtime, when Schaefer stayed on the ice through the full five-minute session and the delayed-penalty sequence after drawing a tripping call early in the frame. For a player still building his NHL resume, that kind of usage says plenty about the confidence the staff has in him, and it also gives Islanders fans another reason to keep watching closely every time he jumps over the boards. [Read more 🡒]
Matthew Schaefer Just Set An Islanders Early Season Marker
Matthew Schaefer keeps adding to the Islanders early-season conversation, and Wednesdays 4-3 shootout win over the Predators gave the rookie defenseman another notable entry for the ledger. He logged 32 minutes and 16 seconds, picked up an assist and continued his strong start with 11 points in 12 games, all while New York improved to fourth in the Metropolitan Division with 14 points through 12 games.
The bigger marker came in overtime, where Schaefer was on the ice for the full five-minute sequence, a rare workload for any defenseman in todays NHL. For an Islanders team still trying to find its footing in the standings, seeing a young blueliner trusted that heavily in a tight game says plenty about how quickly hes becoming central to what they do. [Read more 🡒]