Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the New York Islanders, received the NHL’s rookie of the month award for his performance in October, it was announced on Saturday.
Schaefer’s offensive output placed him third among all first-year players, accumulating three goals and five assists across 11 contests.
Additionally, Jack Eichel, a centre for the Vegas Golden Knights, was recognized as the league’s first star; Mark Scheifele, a centre for the Winnipeg Jets, earned second star honours; and Jakub Dobes, a goalie for the Montreal Canadiens, was named third star for the season’s opening month.
Schaefer, hailing from Hamilton and aged 18, was the Islanders’ top selection in the most recent NHL draft.
In NHL history, only one other 18-year-old defenseman has surpassed Schaefer’s point total in their initial 11 games. Phil Housley recorded 11 points for the Buffalo Sabres during the 1982-83 season.
Schaefer’s selection as October’s top rookie came ahead of fellow Montreal Canadiens players Dobes, Ivan Demidov, and Oliver Kapanen, as well as Detroit Red Wings centre Emmitt Finnie, Minnesota Wild defenceman Zeev Buium, and St. Louis Blues winger Jimmy Snuggerud.
At the age of 18 years and 34 days, Schaefer became the youngest player to register a point in his NHL debut, occurring on Oct. 9 during a 4-3 defeat against the Pittsburgh Penguins. This record was previously held by Scott Niedermayer, who was 18 years and 46 days old at the time of his first point.
Schaefer also achieved the distinction of being the youngest defenseman to score his first goal, accomplishing this feat in his second game. The last time a younger defenceman achieved this was over 80 years ago with Ross Johnstone.
Schaefer began the season with a six-game point streak, amassing two goals and five assists during that period. He also notched his first game-winning goal on Oct. 21 in a match against the San Jose Sharks.
Eichel, who recently signed an eight-year contract extension with Vegas worth US$108 million, led the NHL with eight goals and 11 assists in 11 games, contributing to the Golden Knights’ 6-2-3 start.
Scheifele recorded points in 10 of his first 11 games this season and scored nine goals, making him Winnipeg’s all-time leading scorer. The 32-year-old had a six-game point streak to begin the season with seven goals and three assists for the Jets, who went 8-3-0.
Dobes had a 6-0-0 record in October with a 1.97 goals-against average and .930 save percentage for the Canadiens (8-3-0). The 24-year-old from the Czech Republic made at least 30 saves in three of his six starts and allowed two or fewer goals four times.
