Matthew Schaefer was a great first overall pick for the Islanders. Matthew Scheafer has five goals already. That total leads all National Hockey League (NHL) defensemen. Matthew Schafer was named the NHL rookie of the month yesterday. He is the first Islander to receive that honor since Pat LaFontaine in 1984.
Matthew Schaefer is only 18 years old. Matthew Schaefer, who is living with former Islander Matt Martin, already has a staggering list of accomplishments. How many goals do you think Matthew Schaefer will score this year?
Matthew Schaefer Accomplishments
Matthew Schaefer has already accomplished great things in just eleven games. He passed Hall of Fame defenseman Scott Niedermayer in becoming the youngest player to record an NHL point. At 18 years and 34 days, Matthew Scheafer recorded his first point, an assist during a 4-3 loss at PPG Paints Arena. He was 12 days younger than Niedermayer when he scored that first point.
To show just how good and consistent Matthew Schaefer was in October, the only defenseman in NHL history to record more points in the first eleven games of their career was Hall of Famer Phil Housley, a player for the Buffalo Sabres.
Matthew Schaefer also put his name in the record books by becoming the youngest defenseman to ever score the first goal in a game. That honor was previously held by Toronto Maple Leafs Ross Johnstone, who accomplished the feat at 17 years of age on February 29, 1944.
The Tale of the Tape
In his brief career, Matthew Scheafer has put up some eye-watering statistics. He makes some defensive mistakes and has taken some silly penalties, but he makes up for both. His speed tends to erase defensive errors, and his scoring compensates for the penalties he has taken.
It will not be long until Matthew Scheafer has played too many games to recount, but at only eleven, we can do so here. With his two goals last night, he became the youngest player ever to score two goals in a game. Here are his season statistics:
Breakdown of Scheafer’s Season Statistics
Game 1: 0 goals, 1 assist, 17:15 time on ice
Game 2: 1 goal, 0 assist, 26:04 time on ice
Game 3: 0 goal, 1 assist, 26:35 time on ice
Game 4: 0 goal, 1 assist, 17:38 time on ice
Game 5: 0 goal, 1 assist, 22:33 time on ice
Game 6: 1 goal, 1 assist, 22:34 time on ice
Game 7: 0 goals, 0 assists, 25:14 time on ice
Game 8: 0 goals, 0 assists, 25:14 time on ice
Game 9: 0 goals, 0 assists, 27:40 time on ice
Game 10: 1 goal, 0 assists, 18:58 time on ice
Game 11: 0 goals, 0 assists, 17:58 time on ice
Game 12, 2 goals, 0 assists, 17:24 time on ice
Conclusion
It is fair to wonder how many points Matthew Schaefer will score this season. It is not likely he will keep up his current pace, but he might. He leads all defensemen in goal scoring right now and seems to be scoring at an incredible pace. What is most scary is that he’s just turned 18, and he will get better.
He might score more, but he certainly will not make as many defensive mistakes. One thing is for sure: he will become a cornerstone for the Islanders organization. When you couple him with some of the other great young players the Islanders have, the future is certainly looking bright.
