Schaefer shatters a 43-year-old scoring record, redefining rookie defenseman play. This phenom is forging a new path, even amid team struggles.
The New York Islanders knew last June they'd be drafting a special player with the first overall pick.
Matthew Schaefer has destroyed any and all expectations set for him in his rookie year.
Schaefer has broken countless records, team and league-wide.
It's no surprise that he broke a 43-year-old record on Saturday night in Carolina. The rookie phenom broke Phil Housley's 43-year-old record for the most points by an 18-year-old defenseman.
It's a wildly impressive feat for Schaefer, one that further cements just how special this season has been for him.
It's easy to lose track of how special these records and achievements are, especially when it feels like a new one gets met every single game.
It shouldn't be lost on any Islanders fan that Housley originally set this record back in the 1982-83 season, the same year the Islanders last hoisted the Stanley Cup.
That's how long it's been since there's been a game-destroying rookie of this talent, and that was the NHL saw its highest-scoring ever.
At this point, there are no more historical comparables. Schaefer's truly in a league of his own, blistering a new trail ahead.
The unfortunate side is that the record-breaking point came in a fourth-straight defeat for the Islanders.
Schaefer is the silver lining in that frustration.
Schaefer and the Islanders have four long days off before their next game. They'll host the Toronto Maple Leafs at UBS Arena next.