The NHL’s blue-line talent pool keeps getting deeper, and Quinn Hughes just put Matthew Schaefer in especially rare company.
After the Islanders’ 4-3 OT win over the Minnesota Wild, Hughes had nothing but admiration for the teenager who has already turned heads early in his career. Schaefer, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, is barely 19 years old and has played just 95 games, yet the conversation around him is already pushing toward elite territory.
"He's really impressive. I mean, when I was 19, I was a sophomore at Michigan," Hughes said following the Islanders' 4-3 OT win.
"And when Cale was 19, he was a freshman and did one more year, or two more, I forget. But same with Fox, he did three years.
Werenski, too. Like, all those guys I just mentioned were in college at this kid's age."
That kind of praise hits differently coming from Hughes, a Norris Trophy winner in 2024 and one of the league’s premier offensive defensemen. He’s been a near point-per-game player over his seven-year career, and with a big pay day looming, his opinion carries weight.
Schaefer has become impossible to ignore, not just for Islanders fans but for the teams trying to slow him down. He also won the Calder Trophy unanimously, the first unanimous winner since 1992.
And Hughes believes the best is still ahead.
"Like, when he's 22, 23, 24, 25, all the way up, I mean, those are the years where he can really - he should be a top-three, top-five player in the league," said Hughes. "So he's just got to keep climbing. But it's obviously impressive with where he's at at 19."
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Matthew Schaefer has been a big part of why the Islanders have been able to keep hanging around in the standings. The young defenseman has already turned in some eye-catching moments, including a franchise record for longest shift and a game-winning overtime goal, the sort of stretch that can change how a team is viewed around the league. If the Islanders keep playing this way while they wait for more help to arrive, the conversation around them may finally have to catch up. [Read more 🡒]