The 2025-26 NHL season is barely a month old, but two players are already emerging as near-locks for the league’s top individual honors. On the Calder Trophy front, New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer has taken the hockey world by storm, while Colorado Avalanche star Cale Makar looks poised to make a third run at the James Norris Trophy. 

Schaefer at just 18 years old has taken the league by storm. Through 20 games, he has recorded seven goals and eight assists for 15 points, leading all rookies in scoring ahead of Montreal’s Ivan Demidov. His breakout season has not only put him in the conversation for rookie of the year but also raised discussions about his potential inclusion on Team Canada for the 2026 Olympics. Schaefer has broken multiple records in his young career, including becoming the youngest player in league history to score an overtime goal at 18 years and 70 days, surpassing Sidney Crosby’s previous mark set in 2005.

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The Islanders defenseman also made history with his strong start to the season. In the first nine games, he recorded seven points, including two goals and five assists, during a six-game point streak, becoming the youngest defenseman ever to accomplish such a feat. He ranks fifth on the Islanders in blocked shots, second in takeaways, and has logged the most ice time on the team, nearing 450 minutes, far ahead of the second-place total. 

Schaefer plays significant minutes on both the penalty kill and power play, and his 307 shot attempts lead all Islanders defensemen. If his current pace continues, he is on track for 20 goals this season, a milestone that has only been reached three times in NHL history by defensemen, and 60 points, which would make him just the 11th rookie defenseman ever to reach that total. 

Meanwhile, Cale Makar has continued his dominance from the back end. In 19 games this season, he has six goals and 19 assists for 25 points, leading all NHL defensemen in scoring by four points over Winnipeg’s Josh Morrissey. Makar also leads all defensemen with a +17 rating and has exceeded 90 points in each of the past two seasons and is on pace for 108 points this season.

Over the last four seasons, he has recorded at least 86 points in three of them, and in the one season he fell short, he missed 20 games but was on pace to surpass 86 points. He leads Colorado in ice time, totaling 485 minutes, and also leads the team in blocked shots and takeaways. 

Both players have been instrumental to their teams’ early-season success and are being reflected as such in the betting markets. Schaefer is listed with -238 odds for the Calder Trophy while Makar sits at -233 odds for the Norris, signaling strong confidence that these young stars are on track to claim the NHL’s top individual honors this season.

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