The New York Islanders are coming off a 3-2 shootout victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. It has been a historic season for rookie Matthew Schaefer, and with an assist in the first period of the game, the rookie defender broke a record and joined another exclusive list.

With the assist, Schaefer notched the 25th point of his NHL career. This made Matthew Schaefer the youngest defenseman to ever reach 25 career points.

He also became the fourth-quickest 18-year-old defenseman to reach 25 career points, according to NHLPR. He is behind Phil Housley, who achieved the feat in 30 games, Ray Bourque, in 33 games, and Bobby Orr, in 38 games.

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Meanwhile, he is sixth all-time in points through 40 career games for a teenage defenseman. Larry Murphy leads the way with 43 points through 40 games as a teenager. Housley scored 34 points, and Bourque had 32. Meanwhile, Dave Babych had 27 points, and Orr had 26 points. Furthermore, Zach Werenski also had 25 points in his first 40 games as a teenage defender. Schaefer is also the youngest of the group. He is 18 years and 116 days old. The next youngest was Housley, who was 18 years and 309 days.

Schaefer was the number one overall pick of the 2025 NHL Draft by the Islanders. He was invited to training camp with the team, with the idea that the coaches and front office would evaluate the young talent early in the season. It did not take long for the team to see the talent of the blueliner. He registered an assist in his first NHL game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He would then score his first NHL goal in his second game, a loss to the Washington Capitals. Schaefer would register points in each of his first six games.

The rookie defender has been a major reason for the solid season of the team. The Islanders are 22-14-4 on the season, which places them in second place in the Metropolitan Division. Schaefer will look for his 26th point in his NHL career on Thursday as the team faces off against the Utah Mammoth.