It didn’t take long for new New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer to make his name in the NHL history book. In fact, it lasted just over 17 minutes for Schaefer to play in his first career NHL game, and it also set a record for the 18-year-old.
Just over twelve minutes into the game between the Islanders and the Pittsburgh Penguins, Schaefer got the puck in the Penguins zone. He made a cross-ice pass to find Jonathan Drouin in the high slot for the one-timer. Drouin got the puck past Tristan Jarry to tie the game and record his first goal for the Islanders.
As for Schaefer, he recorded his first NHL point with the primary assist, becoming the youngest defenseman in NHL history to record a point in his NHL debut, surpassing Scott Niedermayer, who was 18 years and 46 days old when he scored his first NHL point in his debut. Schaefer’s mark now stands at 18 years and 34 days old.
“I found (Drouin) there, and it was an easy pass for him and of course he puts it in the back of the net,” Schaefer said of his point.
The point did come in a losing effort for the Islanders, who blew an early 2-1 lead against the Penguins before losing 4-3, but all eyes were on Schaefer and how he would debut as the first overall pick.
“I thought he was really good,” head coach Patrick Roy said. “He was good at the end. He threw the pucks at the net. I thought he was very comfortable there, very confident. So I’m very happy with him.”
While the Islanders will be keeping a close eye on what they can get from Schaefer this season, the 18-year-old will continue to look for ways to make an impact both on and off the ice. For now, he holds an NHL record, even after playing just 17 minutes in the league.
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