When 18-year-old New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer takes the ice Thursday night in Pittsburgh, he won’t just be making his NHL debut — he’ll be joining some rare company.
According to NHL Public Relations, when he hits the ice versus the Pens on Thursday, Schaefer will become only the third first-overall pick to make his NHL debut against Sidney Crosby, following John Tavares (Oct. 3, 2009) and Connor Bedard (Oct. 10, 2023). The matchup will also make Schaefer the 38th No. 1 pick Crosby has faced in his career — tying Corey Perry, Zach Parise, and Zdeno Chara for the second-most in NHL history, trailing only Jaromir Jagr (39).