Schaefer, Demidov, – Matthew Schaefer, Ivan Demidov and Jakub Dobes were the runaway leaders of the NHL All-Rookie Team voting, with their selection underlining how quickly Montreal and the Islanders’ top picks changed their teams’ fortunes.
The night the NHL All-Rookie Team was announced, three rookies didn’t just earn spots — they left the rest of the field chasing their marks.
Matthew Schaefer and Ivan Demidov were the top vote-getters among their positional groups in voting conducted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. finishing with 194 points and 195 points. respectively. Jakub Dobes became the clear choice among rookie goaltenders with 151 points. finishing well ahead of Minnesota Wild netminder Jesper Wallstedt. who received 44 points.
Schaefer’s selection carried the weight of a historic rookie season. The Islanders defenceman. the first-overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. became the first unanimous Calder Trophy winner since 1992-93 after recording 23 goals and 59 points in 82 games. His 23 goals tied the NHL record for a rookie defenceman. and his 59 points surpassed Phil Housley for the most ever by an 18-year-old blueliner.
Demidov’s numbers were just as hard to ignore. He led all rookies with 62 points, including 19 goals, while appearing in all 82 games. At 20 years old, the Canadiens forward became just the seventh rookie in Canadiens history to reach the 60-point mark.
Then there was Dobes, who turned his campaign into Montreal’s steadying force. He helped Montreal return to the playoffs for a second straight season, leading all rookie goaltenders with 29 wins in 43 appearances. Dobes posted a 29-10-4 record with a 2.78 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage.
That trio mattered beyond individual awards. Montreal became the first team since the Canadiens of the mid-1980s to place both a forward and a goaltender on the All-Rookie Team. with Demidov and Dobes following in the footsteps of Chris Chelios and Steve Penney (1984-85) and Kjell Dahlin and Patrick Roy (1985-86).
The rest of the ballot showed other rookies made their case in tight races. Nikishin finished second among rookie defensemen in voting after recording 11 goals and 33 points in 81 games. In the forward vote, Sennecke narrowly trailed Demidov after posting 23 goals and 60 points while helping Anaheim return to the playoffs. Snuggerud secured the third forward spot after scoring 21 goals and 51 points in just 70 games.
The voting results were:
Jakub Dobes (MTL) – 151 points
Jesper Wallstedt (MIN) – 44 points
Matthew Schaefer (NYI) – 194 points
Alexander Nikishin (CAR) – 184 points
Zeev Buium (VAN) – 9 points
Ivan Demidov (MTL) – 195 points
Beckett Sennecke (ANA) – 191 points
Jimmy Snuggerud (STL) – 136 points
NHL All-Rookie Team Matthew Schaefer Ivan Demidov Jakub Dobes Calder Trophy Islanders Canadiens rookie voting