Matthew Schaefer's Play Should Earn Him The Calder Trophy

         Although it feels like the NHL season just started, we are already two months into a six-month regular season, which means that people are starting to think about end of season awards. The Calder Memorial Trophy, named for former National Hockey League president Frank Calder, is “... awarded to the National Hockey League player judged to be the most proficient in his first season”, according to the official Hockey Hall of Fame website. Notable former winners of the award include players like Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux, Alex Ovechkin, Nathan MacKinnon and many of the league’s best players since the 1932-1933 season.  

Among the rookies this season, several stand out as likely candidates for the award. Matthew Schaefer, Ivan Demidov, Beckett Sennecke and Jesper Wallstedt are all names floating around the Calder Trophy conversation. Based on his play so far this season, if he continues to play at the same level, Matthew Schaefer should win the Calder Memorial Trophy.  

Last year’s winner was defenseman Lane Hutson, who was drafted 62nd overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Hutson made his NHL debut in April 2024, but he only played two games in that season, making him eligible for the 2024-2025 award. Hutson finished the 2024-2025 season with six goals and 60 assists, which was the most out of all rookies. Hutson had 3 more points than the next closest player, Macklin Celebrini, a forward who was the 1st overall pick in the 2024 draft.  

Defenseman Matthew Schaefer was selected 1st overall in the 2025 draft by the New York Islanders. Since his NHL debut on Oct. 9, 2025, he has racked up nine goals and 14 assists, which is more than any other rookie defenseman right now. He also leads all rookie defensemen in points per game with 0.68. Schaefer’s plus/minus is +8, the second highest among rookie defensemen. The Calder Trophy is not just an award for rookie defensemen; however, Schaefer holds his own in the stats against other rookies as well. He is third overall in points among all rookies, led only by Ivan Demidov with 25 and Beckett Sennecke with 27.  

In addition to his domination on the stat sheet, Schaefer has already broken several records in his short time in the league. He had an assist in his debut, making him the youngest defenseman to record a point in his debut at just 18 years, 34 days. On Nov. 2, 2025, he scored twice against the Columbus Blue Jackets to become the youngest defenseman in NHL history with a multi-goal game at 18 years, 58 days. The previous record holder was Bobby Orr, who won the Calder Trophy in the 1966-67 season. On Nov. 14, 2025, Schaefer became the youngest player in NHL history to score an overtime goal in the regular season, at 18 years, 70 days. In doing so, he took the record from Sidney Crosby, who is arguably one of the best players in the last 20 years, if not all time. Not only does Schaefer have many individual accolades, he also has helped bring his team success as well. At this time last year, the Islanders had a record of 12-14-7, which gave them 31 points. Now, the Islanders are 19-12-3, with 41 points. They are second in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and if the playoffs started right now, the Islanders would be in.  

Of course, if there were only one serious contender for the Calder Trophy, the season could easily get boring. Not to mention, a close race for the trophy means that the league is replete with young talent, which can only be good for the future of the NHL; a close race for the Calder Trophy should make hockey fans very excited. In a poll taken at the quarter mark of the season, a panel of writers from NHL.com voted for who they thought would win the Calder Trophy. Some of these writers are the same ones who make up the Professional Hockey Writers Association, the body that decides who will win the Calder Trophy at the end of the year. In this poll, the results of which came out on Nov. 24, 2025, Matthew Schaefer received 16 first-place votes. The votes were ranked 5-4-3-2-1, with 16 voters, so Schaefer received the maximum of 80 points possible. He was followed closely in votes by Ivan Demidov(57), Beckett Sennecke(34) and Alexander Nikishin(19). Jesper Wallstedt(6) was lower in the poll, but he has certainly made an impression in the month since the poll.   

Ivan Demidov is a left winger drafted fifth overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2024 draft. He is second among rookies in points, however, he has fewer goals than Schaefer as a forward and has a –3 plus/minus. In addition, the Canadiens are 17-12-4 with 38 points, which would put them in the playoffs as a wild card if they started today. Although Demidov ranked above Bennett Sennecke in the poll, at this point in the season, Sennecke probably has a better chance of winning the Calder Trophy than Demidov does. Sennecke is a right winger who was drafted third overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2024 draft. He leads all rookies in points with 27 and is tied for most goals among rookies with Oliver Kapanen with 10. However, just like Demidov, Sennecke is a forward with only a few more point than Schaefer, who is a defenseman.  

Alexander Nikishin was drafted 69th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2020. He was also ranked highly in the poll, however his production has not been at the same level as Sennecke, Demidov and Schaefer. Nikishin has 12 points and only 4 goals. He is averaging 0.39 points per game, which is low compared to the three players mentioned above, who are all averaging more than 0.6 points per game. Ryan Leonard is another young forward who is doing well, however he was not ranked at all in the poll. Leonard, who was drafted eighth overall in 2023 by the Washington Capitals, is fourth among rookies with 18 points. He also has a +7 plus/minus, which is better than Demidov or Sennecke, who outrank him in points. 

 Jesper Wallstedt was tied for sixth place in the poll taken at the end of November, however he also won rookie of the month in November. Wallstedt leads the league this season in shutouts with four and has the best save percentage(0.937%). He also has the fewest number of goals against average in the league with 1.95. These statistics are impressive, however his numbers are only over 12 games, while many other goaltenders have played more games.  

All in all, while there are several players that deserve consideration for the Calder Memorial Trophy, the way he is playing right now, Matthew Schaefer has the best chance to win it. Schaefer was drafted into the league this year, has made an immediate impact to his team and has broken several records. To be third among all rookies in points as a defenseman is impressive and speaks to his all-around versatility as a player, which bodes well for his future in the league for years to come.