Defensemen among leaders in skating speed, shot speed, shots by location
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NHL.com’s fantasy staff continues to cover the latest trends and storylines in the League through the lens of NHL EDGE puck and player tracker stats.
Today, we compare the underlying metrics of defensemen Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche and rookie Matthew Schaefer of the New York Islanders ahead of their first NHL matchup Sunday at Ball Arena (9 p.m. ET; MSGSN, ALT, SN, TVAS).
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New York Islanders rookie Matthew Schaefer, who’s thriving at 18 years old, is already drawing comparisons to Colorado Avalanche superstar Cale Makar, who’s widely viewed as the best defenseman in the NHL.
Schaefer, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, is leading all defensemen in goals (seven), with one more than Makar (six), approaching the one-quarter mark of his first season (Nov. 20) and leads his rookie class in goals, points (15 in 18 games), power-play goals (four) and shots on goal (54). Makar, the No. 4 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, leads all defensemen in points (24 in 18 games) this season, while Schaefer is tied for sixth at the position. Makar and Schaefer are tied for second among defensemen in power-play points (seven each; behind Moritz Seider’s eight).
With Schaefer’s overtime goal against the Utah Mammoth on Friday, Schaefer became the youngest player (18 years, 70 days) in NHL history to score a regular-season overtime goal, overtaking Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby (18 years, 101 days). On Nov. 2 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Schaefer became the youngest defenseman in history with a multi-goal game, a mark previously held by Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins (18 years, 248 days) since Nov. 23, 1966.
NYI@UTA: Schaefer crushes Barzal’s dish into the net for OT-winning goal
The immediate impact for Schaefer brings back memories of Makar, who made his NHL debut during the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs and scored his first NHL goal in that game against the Calgary Flames. That early milestone came only three days after Makar won the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in NCAA hockey. Makar is tied with Paul Coffey for second among defensemen in career points per game (1.09) during the regular season (minimum 200 games) behind Orr (1.39).
Makar’s trophy case is already among the all-time greats as he enters his prime at 27 years old; he has won the Calder Trophy (2020), Norris Trophy twice (2022, 2025), Stanley Cup (2022) and Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of that postseason during the Avalanche’s championship run.
COL@EDM: Makar snaps it home with his second
Here are three comparable underlying metrics between Makar and Schaefer:
Schaefer, as a rookie, leads all defensemen in 20-plus mile per hour speed bursts this season (65). Makar ranks fourth in that category (44) behind Schaefer, Jake Sanderson of the Ottawa Senators (60) and Olen Zellweger of the Anaheim Ducks (57). Makar has the highest max skating speed among defensemen (23.86 mph), and Schaefer is not far behind (22.93 mph; 96th percentile at position).
In terms of 22-plus mph speed bursts, Makar and Schaefer are tied for third among defensemen (five each) behind Erik Karlsson of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Sanderson (seven each). In terms of total skating distance this season, Makar (66.56 miles; 97th percentile) ranks ninth among defensemen and higher than Schaefer (59.69; 88th percentile at position).
In terms of hardest shot, Schaefer (93.91 mph; 86th percentile among defensemen) has a slight edge on Makar (93.71; 85th percentile) this season. Makar, who’s in his seventh NHL season, is also a standout in average shot speed (72.26 mph; 89th percentile among defensemen), while Schaefer (66.44) ranks slightly below the NHL average at his position (67.90).
Makar ranks in the top 10 in 90-plus mph shot attempts this season (six; tied for ninth); Schaefer has had two such attempts so far. In terms of 80-plus mph shot attempts, Makar (25) also leads Schaefer (16).
Schaefer ranks ahead of Makar in both high-danger shots on goal and midrange shots on goal, and they both rank in the top five at their positions in each of those categories. Here is the full shots by location comparison between Makar and Schaefer, along with their ranks among defensemen:
High-danger shots on goal:
• Schaefer: 7 (third; 99th percentile)
• Makar: 5 (tied for fifth; 98th percentile)
Midrange shots on goal:
• Schaefer: 18 (third; 99th percentile)
• Makar: 15 (tied for fifth; 98th percentile)
Long-range shots on goal:
• Makar: 24 (ninth; 97th percentile)
• Schaefer: 20 (just outside top 10; 93rd percentile)
Schaefer has scored more high-danger goals (two; tied for second among defensemen behind Jakob Chychrun’s three) than Makar (one; tied for sixth) this season, while Makar has scored more midrange goals (three; tied for defenseman lead) than Schaefer (two; tied for sixth). Their offensive zone time percentages are also strikingly similar, with Makar (44.8; 86th percentile among defensemen) holding a slight advantage over Schaefer (44.2; 80th percentile).
Schaefer already being comparable to Makar, a generational defenseman, in both surface-level and advanced metrics at such a young age shows Schaefer has an extremely high ceiling at his position — and that these Canada-born defensemen could be compared to each other for many years to come.
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