It's so far, so good for New York Islanders rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer, who has lived up to his billing as the top overall selection in this year's NHL Draft.
The Islanders, who won the NHL Draft Lottery despite having been to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in five of the last seven seasons, made Schaefer the first overall selection, and he's been anything but intimidated by his early experience in the top hockey league on Earth.
While the Islanders were defeated by the Carolina Hurricanes 6-2 on Thursday evening, Schaefer picked up his third goal of the season. Along with his five assists, he now has eight points so far in his young NHL career. In doing so, he also became just the second Islanders defenseman in the last decade, along with Ryan Pulock in 2018, to register at least eight points in a single month.
Schaefer's goal against the Hurricanes was on the power-play, making it the first PPG that the Islanders had tallied in their last 13 attempts.
Schaefer and the Islanders will next take on Alex Ovechkin, who was selected first overall 21 years prior in the 2004 NHL Draft, and the Washington Capitals on Friday evening. Puck drop is scheduled for just after 7:00 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena in Washington DC.
Matthew Schaefer living up to billing as top pick in NHL Draft
Schaefer's talent isn't lost on the rest of the NHL, who have quickly learned to include him in their game-planning against the Islanders.
“For an 18-year-old, playing defense isn't easy,” Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said before a 4-2 loss to the Islanders at UBS Arena on Oct. 16. “But Matthew is gifted as a smooth skater who can move the puck extremely well. He's got great character and works hard.”
A native of Ontario, Schaefer was the first overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft by the Islanders after he was coming off his second season playing for the Erie Otters of the OHL. He's also represented Canada on a handful of occasions, including in the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup as well as 2025 World Junior Championships.
