- Matthew Schaefer lands 28th on NHL Network’s Top 50 Players Right Now, the only teenager in the 30-21 group
- Nick Suzuki tops the batch at No. 21 after a 101-point season and a Selke Trophy
- Read below for the full 30-21 rundown and where the countdown goes from here
Matthew Schaefer is 19 years old, and NHL Network already has him inside the 30 best players in hockey.
The New York Islanders defenseman came in at No. 28 when the network revealed Nos. 30-21 of its Top 50 Players Right Now list on Sunday, per NHL.com. Nobody else in the group is under 22.
His rookie season explains it. Schaefer scored 23 goals to tie Brian Leetch’s record for a rookie defenseman, and his 59 points were the most ever by an 18-year-old blueliner. He won the Calder Trophy unanimously, all 198 first-place votes, and we covered the record pile he built before his 19th birthday.
Defensemen own the back half of this batch. Moritz Seider went 30th, Jake Sanderson 29th, Schaefer 28th and Lane Hutson 27th, four straight blueliners before a forward shows up.
Here’s the card NHL Network put out Sunday night:
Nick Suzuki finished highest of the ten at No. 21. The Montreal captain put up 101 points last season, the fifth straight year he raised his point total, and won the Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward.
Igor Shesterkin is the only goalie in the group at 22. He went 25-19-6 with a .912 save percentage for a Rangers team that ranked 23rd in scoring.
Jack Hughes landed at 26 after injuries held him to 61 games. He still led New Jersey with 77 points, then scored the Golden Goal for the United States at the Winter Olympics.
The full group, with last season’s numbers:
| # | Player | Team | 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Nick Suzuki, C | Canadiens | 101 points (29G, 72A) in 82 GP |
| 22 | Igor Shesterkin, G | Rangers | 25-19-6, 2.50 GAA, .912 SV% in 51 GP |
| 23 | Matt Boldy, LW | Wild | 85 points (42G, 43A) in 82 GP |
| 24 | Jason Robertson, LW | Stars | 96 points (45G) in 82 GP |
| 25 | Matthew Tkachuk, LW | Panthers | 34 points (13G, 21A) in 31 GP |
| 26 | Jack Hughes, C | Devils | 77 points (27G, 50A) in 61 GP |
| 27 | Lane Hutson, D | Canadiens | 78 points (12G, 66A) in 82 GP |
| 28 | Matthew Schaefer, D | Islanders | 59 points (23G) in 82 GP |
| 29 | Jake Sanderson, D | Senators | 54 points (14G) in 67 GP |
| 30 | Moritz Seider, D | Red Wings | 60 points (10G, 50A) in 82 GP |
Sunday was the seventh installment of a nine-part rollout. Cole Caufield headlined the 40-31 group a week ago, and Sam Reinhart, Connor Bedard and Charlie McAvoy went in the 50-41 batch before that.
Nos. 20-11 come next, then the top 10. Schaefer cracked the board at 19 with one NHL season behind him.
