New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer has been recognized as the league’s top rookie, as he won the Calder Memorial Trophy.
The NHL announced on Wednesday that Schaefer, who was heavily favored to win the award, is the winner of the 2025-26 Calder Trophy award, given annually to the league’s top rookie. The runners-up this year were Ivan Demidov of the Montreal Canadiens and Beckett Sennecke of the Anaheim Ducks.
“MAT-THEW SCHAE-FER #NHLAwards The @NYIslanders ’ 2025 No. 1 #NHLDraft pick, Matthew Schaefer, is this year’s Calder Memorial Trophy winner — an award presented to the player who was the most proficient in his first year in the League,” the NHL posted on X.
The @NYIslanders’ 2025 No. 1 #NHLDraft pick, Matthew Schaefer, is this year’s Calder Memorial Trophy winner — an award presented to the player who was the most proficient in his first year in the League.
Matthew Schaefer Reacts to Winning Calder Trophy
After being announced as the Calder Memorial Trophy winner, Schaefer reacted to winning the league’s rookie of the year award, while shouting out the two runner-ups in Demidov and Sennecke, who also had great rookie seasons.
“It’s definitely an honor to see so many great names on that trophy. It’s definitely a dream come true. Obviously, Demidov and Sennecke, they’re great players and they could have won it too. I think any of us could have won it, because we all had great years, especially them too. They’ve done great things for the League. It’s definitely an honor and it’s a privilege to have this trophy,” Schaefer said (via NHL.com).
The 18-year-old Islanders defenseman was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. He played in all 82 regular-season games for the Islanders this year, scoring 23 goals and 59 points. In addition to this Calder Trophy award, he will likely get some down-ballot votes for the league’s Norris Trophy award as the top defenseman in the entire NHL. He was quite simply that good this season.
Sky’s the Limit for Matthew Schaefer
Just 18 years old, Schaefer proved that he is already one of the league’s top defensemen this year, and he is just touching the tip of his potential as an NHL defenseman. Hockey players don’t reach their prime until their mid-to-late 20s, and defenseman often peak even later than that. There is reason to believe that Schaefer is going to be a Norris Trophy candidate for many years to come, as he already showed in his first NHL season that he is among the league’s most elite defenseman.
Although the Islanders missed the playoffs this year, they were in the mix until the final week or so of the year. The team fired former head coach Patrick Roy with just four games to go and replaced him with Pete DeBoer, who is known as one of the top coaches in hockey. With DeBoer now helping guide Schaefer, there is every reason to believe that he can take an even bigger leap in his sophomore year next season. He is already one of the very best players in the league at his position at just 18 years of age, and he likely has another 20 years in the league as one of the top defenseman. The sky’s the limit for Schaefer, and the Islanders are very lucky to have him.
Matthew Schaefer Wins Calder Memorial Trophy as ROTY