Schaefer wins Calder, Islanders defenseman surprised with trophy on ‘GMA3’

It was a family affair when Matthew Schaefer was awarded the Calder Trophy on Wednesday.

The 18-year-old New York Islanders defenseman was in tears when his father, Todd, and brother, Johnathon, showed up on the set of ABC’s “GMA3” in New York to inform him he is the NHL’s top rookie for the 2025-26 season.

“We’ve got a lot of good family,” 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’s mother, Jennifer, died in 2024 from breast cancer. He lived with former Islanders forward Matt Martin and their four children this season.

Martin, now the Islanders special assistant to general manager Mathieu Darche, his wife Sydney and their two daughters, Winnie and Alice, joined Schaefer’s father and brother on stage. 

The No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, Matthew was a hit on social media over the course of the season in various clips playing with Martin’s daughters. 

“My two ‘sisters’,” Schaefer said, still fighting back tears. “Obviously, this year’s been very important to me. I wanted to do it for my mom and my family. It’s definitely an honor.”

Schaefer led all first-year players this season in time on ice per game (24:41), tied for the lead in goals (23) and was third in points (59) while playing all 82 games. Among rookie defensemen, Schaefer, the No. 1 pick by the Islanders at the 2025 NHL Draft, ranked first in each category plus power-play goals (eight), power-play points (18), overtime goals (two), game-winning goals (four), shots on goal (222) and was second in plus/minus (plus-13).

“It was awesome,” Matthew said after leaving the studio. “I definitely wasn’t expecting this. It was so cool for my dad and brother and all of them to be coming down (from Canada). It was awesome. 

“Obviously, to have the Martins here and things like that, it was a dream come true.”

Todd and Johnathon Schaefer traveled from the Toronto suburbs to New York for another big day in Matthew’s still young life.

“I’m just so happy that I don’t have to keep the secret anymore,” his father said. “He’s got a lot of good people in his corner, so very happy to share this with everybody.

“Less than a year ago, he was at a Toronto Maple Leaf playoff game in the front row with an Auston Matthews jersey chanting, ‘Go Leafs go!’ He was a fan of the game and that’s it. The amount of things that have happened since then … we didn’t know if he was ready for the NHL, we didn’t know if he’d play more than 10 games. Just to see the progression, it’s the icing on the cake.”

“Very proud,” Johnathon said. “It happened the way it was supposed to, and I couldn’t be happier for him.”

Schaefer set the League record for points by an 18-year-old defenseman, tied the single-season NHL record for most goals by a rookie defenseman and became the first defenseman in more than 90 years to lead rookies in goals (tied or outright).

He is the first Islanders player to win the award since forward Mathew Barzal in 2017-18 and sixth in their history. At 18 years, 223 days on the final day of the regular season, Schaefer is the youngest Calder Trophy winner in NHL history, one day younger than Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon in 2013-14 (18 years, 224 days).

Schaefer was one of three finalists for the Calder, along with forwards Ivan Demidov (Montreal Canadiens) and Beckett Sennecke (Anaheim Ducks). 

“It’s definitely an honor to see so many great names on that trophy,” the Islanders defenseman said. “It’s definitely a dream come true. Obviously, Demidov and Sennecke, they’re great players and they could have won it too. I think any of us could have won it, because we all had great years, especially them too. They’ve done great things for the League. 

“It’s definitely an honor and it’s a privilege to have this trophy.”

It was announced Monday that Schaefer, with the help of a $150,000 donation from the Islanders Children’s Foundation, has partnered with Northwell Health to open the Jennifer Schaefer Child Support Center at the RJ Zuckerberg Cancer Center in New Hyde Park, New York, in honor of his late mother. 

Once the center opens in October, Schaefer will make multiple visits throughout the year to provide smiles for those going through a similar experience he had. 

“He is in such a good place on the ice and off the ice,” Todd Schaefer said. “Whether it’s the Islanders, whether it’s the Martin family, it’s just everybody. He’s just set up for success.”

(10-7-5-3-1 points allocation)