Islanders’ Matthew Schaefer shows teammates love amid historic rookie season

The New York Islanders picked up a big win over the Florida Panthers on Sunday. This victory continues a rather promising season for New York. The Islanders have watched as first overall pick Matthew Schaefer has grown into an impact player in his very first season. And he has set multiple records along the way.

Schaefer made his impact felt on Sunday night, as well. He scored two goals to help New York claim a 5-4 win on home ice. He now has 20 goals on the season, giving him the lead in rookie goal scoring once again. After the game, Schaefer showed love for the players around him for helping him make this sort of impact.

“I wouldn’t be able to do it if it weren’t for these guys,” Schaefer said, via NHL.com. “They made it such an easy transition to just come into the NHL, come to a team that I didn’t know a lot about before coming here as an 18-year-old. They brought me in with welcoming arms, and it’s just so fun playing with them, gaining chemistry and keeping it going through the season.”

Schaefer completed a couple of feats in the Islanders’ win on Sunday. He became the first rookie defenseman in franchise history to score 20 goals since Denis Potvin. Furthermore, he became the first rookie defenseman to reach 20 goals before any other rookie in a single season in league history.

The 18-year-old is having one of the best rookie campaigns in recent memory. And he could end the year with one of the best rookie campaigns in league history. It will certainly be interesting to see how he continues building on these performances as the season rolls along.

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