Quinn Hughes shows high praise for NY Islanders teenager Matthew Schaefer

The NHL is perhaps in the best state its ever been in regards to defensemen. Offensive-minded defensemen have taken the league by storm, adding new dimensions to the offensive game in ways that were rare 20 years ago.

Last night, when the NY Islanders took on the Minnesota Wild, we saw Quinn Hughes in action, who could be at the top of the list when it comes to offensive defensemen. Winning the Norris Trophy in 2024, Hughes has been a near point-per-game player throughout his seven-year career and is in line for a massive pay raise in the near future.

When the Islanders selected Matthew Schaefer first overall at the 2025 NHL Draft, there were hopes he could one day be in the same echelon as Hughes. Just 95 games into his career and barely 19 years old, the argument is being made that he's already there, with Hughes giving the teenager high praise.

"He's really impressive. I mean, when I was 19, I was a sophomore at Michigan," Hughes said following the Islanders' 4-3 OT win. "And when Cale was 19, he was a freshman and did one more year, or two more, I forget. But same with Fox, he did three years. Werenski, too. Like, all those guys I just mentioned were in college at this kid's age."

Voted the first unanimous Calder Trophy winner since 1992, Schaefer has become a spectacle not just for fans, but for the opposition too. And the scary thing is, he hasn't reached his prime.

"Like, when he's 22, 23, 24, 25, all the way up, I mean, those are the years where he can really — he should be a top-three, top-five player in the league," said Hughes. "So he's just got to keep climbing. But it's obviously impressive with where he's at at 19."

Schaefer has 14 points (4 G, 10 A) through 13 games, tied with Bo Horvat for the team lead and T-7 for defensemen in the league. This kid is only going to get better, and that could get scary for the rest of the league.

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