New York Islanders rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer’s start is no longer just impressive — it is historically singular. With a point Saturday in Ottawa, the 18-year-old became the first defenseman in NHL history to record a point in each of his first five games at that age.
He is also the first defenseman ever taken first overall to begin his career with points in five straight. What began as a promising debut week has quickly turned into a statistical outlier that is forcing the league to pay attention. Schaefer is now one game shy of matching Marek Zidlicky’s record for the longest season-opening point streak by a rookie defenseman to begin a career (six with Nashville in 2003-04).