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Islanders' Matthew Schaefer is the unanimous Calder Trophy choice as NHL rookie of the year

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FILE - New York Islanders' Matthew Schaefer (48) smiles after scoring a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the San Jose Sharks, Oct. 21, 2025, at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, file)

NEW YORK – Matthew Schaefer of the New York Islanders is the unanimous winner of the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year.

The league surprised him with the award Wednesday.

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Schaefer, the No. 1 pick in the draft, was the Calder front-runner from just about the time he made his debut on opening night at Pittsburgh. He scored 23 goals to tie Brian Leetch’s record for the most by a rookie defenseman and finished with 59 points.

The 18-year-old became the face of the Islanders franchise and helped them make a playoff push before falling short in the final couple of weeks of the regular season. He received all 198 first-place Calder votes.

Montreal’s Ivan Demidov was second and Anaheim’s Bennett Sennecke third in voting by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

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