NY Islanders Matthew Schaefer is redefining what's possible for a teenage defenseman

Saturday night at UBS Arena felt like another New York Islanders chapter being written in real time, as Matthew Schaefer turned a thrilling 4–3 overtime win over the Maple Leafs into a full-blown history lesson.

According to statistician Eric Hornick, at just 18 years and 120 days old, Schaefer became the youngest defenseman in NHL history to record multiple multi-goal games, breaking a mark that had stood since Zach Bogosian did it at 19 years, 106 days. For a blue-liner — let alone one still in his teens — that alone is staggering.

It didn’t stop there. With his second goal of the night, Schaefer also became the youngest defenseman ever to reach 12 career goals, eclipsing Phil Housley’s long-held benchmark. To put that into broader league context, since World War II only three forwards — Sidney Crosby, Brian Bellows, and Jordan Staal — have reached that mark at a younger age. No defenseman had.

Then came overtime, where Schaefer has quietly become something of a specialist. His game-winner was his second overtime goal of the season, making him just the sixth rookie defenseman in NHL history to score at least two OT winners in a single year. Only Shayne Gostisbehere, who once had four, has done more. Schaefer now sits tied for second all time among rookie defensemen.

Even more remarkably, Schaefer is the youngest player in NHL history with multiple overtime goals, edging Crosby’s record by 26 days. Crosby remains the only other 18-year-old to do it — and Schaefer is already chasing him.

Within Islanders history, the company is just as exclusive. Only three defensemen — Thomas Hickey, Roman Hamrlik, and Ryan Pulock — have more than two career overtime goals. Hickey and Hamrlik are the only Isles blueliners before Schaefer to score two in a single season.

For Islanders fans, nights like this are no longer about “potential.” They’re about watching milestones fall, one after another, as Schaefer continues to redefine what’s possible for an 18-year-old defenseman in the NHL.