New York Islanders defenceman Matthew Schaefer has been awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top rookie.
Selected first overall in the 2025 NHL draft, Schaefer is the sixth Islander to win the Calder Trophy and the youngest winner in NHL history at 18 years and 223 days.
He is also the first unanimous winner since Winnipeg Jets forward Teemu Selanne in 1992-93 after earning the first-place vote on all 198 ballots cast.
The announcement was made on Wednesday, while Schaefer appeared on ABC's "GMA3" in New York. His father, Todd, and brother, Johnathon, showed up as a surprise, while former Islander Matt Martin and his family — with whom Schaefer lived this past season — were also in attendance.
Schaefer's mother, Jennifer, passed away from breast cancer in 2024.
“In a lot of my years, I've gone through a lot. We’ve (gone through) a lot as a family,” an emotional Schaefer said. “My mom’s helped me and my family so much with everything; obviously we’ve had some tough losses, but it hasn’t stopped us as a family. We’ve gotten a lot closer. For you guys to be here … it means a lot. This year was super important to me.”
Schaefer set NHL records for an 18-year-old defenceman with 23 goals and 59 points.
He also led all rookies in ice time with over 2,023 minutes and finished fifth among rookies with a plus-13 rating.
Montreal Canadiens forward Ivan Demidov, who finished second in voting, and Anaheim Ducks winger Beckett Sennecke were the other finalists. Montreal goaltender Jakub Dobes was fourth in voting.
-- with files from Sportsnet Staff
