"Schaefer has gone from a sheltered 18-year-old playing with an older brother defense partner to holding down a spot on his own. The Isles' rising star has gone from about 17 minutes a night to over 28 a couple of games ago against the Nashville Predators. Schaefer hit the ice for 32 shifts in the Islanders' shootout loss."
"Despite Schaefer's evident impact on the club, a recent ranking in The Athletic isn't entirely convinced that Schaefer is an elite player. The ranking placed Schaefer at #4 in its list of top NHL players under 23. Now, the debate isn't whether Schaefer should be #1 or not. The discussion here is that the piece refers to Schaefer as a "bubble elite NHL player.""
"All right, so the argument is that Schaefer only has 46 games of experience, while Bedard and Celebrini already have a couple of years under their belts. And that's precisely the point. Neither Bedard nor Celebrini was this impactful out of the gate. Bedard won the Calder in his rookie season. But his impact did little to help the Blackhawks turn their team around. Meanwhile, Celebrini didn't even win the Calder in his first year."
Matthew Schaefer has 13 goals and 30 points in 46 games, exceptional production for a rookie defenseman. Schaefer has transitioned from a sheltered 18-year-old playing with an older brother to logging top-pair minutes and holding his own on the ice. His average ice time jumped from about 17 minutes to over 28, and he played 32 shifts in a recent shootout loss. A ranking placed him fourth among NHL players under 23 and labeled him a "bubble elite" player. Schaefer has been more immediately impactful than other young stars and appears to be a strong Calder candidate and catalyst for the Islanders.
Read at Eyes On Isles
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