Former NY Islanders defenseman Braydon Coburn says Matthew Schaefer reminds him of this future Hall-of-Famer

It feels like every night, Matthew Schaefer is setting some sort of record. The 18-year-old has taken the league by storm and is currently leading all NHL defensemen in goals.

While fans have taken notice of Schaefer's abilities every night with the NY Islanders, current and former players are also bewildered at what the rookie is doing at such a young age.

"The thing that I really kind of enjoy watching is that he's not mistake-free," former Islanders defenseman Braydon Coburn said on The Rink podcast. "He makes mistakes, but the way he recovers from those mistakes reminds me a little of Victor Hedman. And Victor Hedman, and his ability, his length, his speed, his size... And Heady is a player that is kind of able to push the boundaries of play sometimes. There will be mistakes he makes, but because of all those attributes that he has, the intangibles - his recoveries are fantastic, and I see a lot of that in Schaefer."

Schaefer drawing Hedman comparisons

Coand is halfburn, who played only three games for the Islanders in 2020-21, spent parts of six seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning alongside Hedman.

Hedman, drafted second overall in the 2009 NHL Draft, one spot behind the Islanders and John Tavares, has established himself as one of the leading blue line forces in the NHL.

Entering the league at 18 years old like Schaefer, Hedman had nowhere near the run of success as Schaefer. In fact, Schaefer's seven goals are nearly double Hedman's four scored across 74 games, and he is halfway to Hedman's 16 assists.

The Islanders know they have something special in Schaefer, but hearing how special he could be from the mouth of someone who played 983 career games and alongside one of the game's best is something else.