The New York Islanders may have traded away many of their early draft picks in recent seasons to enhance the NHL roster, but general manager Lou Lamoriello has done an impressive job at finding talent in the later rounds. One of his best draft picks is looking to be his 2020 121st overall pick, Alex Jefferies.
Jefferies is a 6-foot, 200-pound right-shot winger who has spent the past four seasons with Merrimack College of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). In 105 career NCAA games, he scored 43 goals and 107 points, leading to a Hobey Baker Award nomination his senior season. After concluding his senior season with Merrimack last season, he signed an amateur tryout with the Bridgeport Islanders where he scored seven points (three goals and four assists) in 12 games. Now heading into his first full professional season, he could quickly rise through the ranks of the Islanders’ prospect pool.
Jefferies’ Short-Term Outlook
Jefferies is not going to join the Islanders in the NHL this season, but his well-rounded playstyle is not too far from reaching the NHL. He plays an impressive two-way game that features a backcheck reminiscent of NHL veterans. He can play both wings and drive offense through his strong vision and playmaking ability. He has soft hands that allow for precise passes, and his quick reactions help win puck battles in both the offensive and defensive zones.
Despite weighing 200 pounds, Jefferies has struggled with the physical aspect of the game. This is understandable for an NCAA prospect but will be a hurdle at the professional level. In his 12 AHL games last season, physicality held him back, and his first game of the 2024 preseason was no different.
Related: Islanders’ 2024 Offseason Prospect Profile: Alex Jefferies
Jefferies does not need to be a physical player, but he cannot let it be a weakness. Bridgeport head coach Rick Kowalsky told the media that he “saw enough of [Jefferies] last year to see his skill…. but [he] is going to have to adjust to the pace and understand that. He’s going to have to do more to get pucks back and check.”
Heading into the 2024-25 season, improved physical play will come over time for Jefferies. In that time, he will also be given every opportunity to get on the scoresheet. With Bridgeport’s leading scorer, Ruslan Iskhakov, leaving this offseason, Jefferies will be expected to fill some of the void.
Ahead of training camp, Kowalsky stated “I’m excited to see what [Jefferies] can do with it at this level… When I say at this level, I think that [in the] American Hockey League, he showed he can make plays.” With the confidence of his coach, Jefferies is expected to immediately be thrown into Bridgeport’s top six, likely alongside some of the team’s top forwards like Matthew Maggio, Liam Foudy, Marc Gatcomb, Fredrik Karlström, and Brian Pinho. It will not be easy to maintain high ice time, but Jefferies’ ability to play both sides of the ice will bode well.
FIRST PRO GOAL FOR ALEX JEFFERIES #SupremePort | #Isles pic.twitter.com/J88wkpfdLL
— Bridgeport Islanders (@AHLIslanders) April 2, 2024
For 2024-25, Jefferies’ season will be evaluated in two areas: physicality and offensive production. He is not expected to throw the body around but withstanding the big hits he will inevitably take is an important aspect of his game that needs to shine through. Offensively, scoring close to 20 goals and 50 points in Bridgeport’s 72-game season would be a great target.
Of course, Bridgeport’s leading scorer last season was Iskhakov with 18 goals and 50 points, meaning Jefferies would immediately take over as the team’s leading scorer. This is a very ambitious offensive target for the 22-year-old, with 15 goals and 35 points being a realistic target, but there is no doubt his offensive potential is higher than that. As well, playing in an improved forward core should enhance everyone’s offensive production.
Jefferies’ Long-Term Outlook
It is hard to gauge where Jefferies fits in the Islanders’ long-term plans, but this season should be telling. If he can push the 20-goal and 50-point marks, he could make the NHL by the end of this season if injuries pile up. With his strong defensive play, he would be a great bottom-six winger.
If the NHL roster stays healthy, he should push for an NHL roster spot ahead of the 2025-26 season. There will be many factors out of his control, such as the health and performance of the 2024-25 NHL team, but he will be NHL-ready by this time. Long-term, his projection is as a 10 to 15-goal, 30-point NHL bottom-six winger who dominates in the defensive zone. He does not have the intangibles to develop into a star NHL winger, but his hard work and defensive play leave him as a likely future NHLer.
With just four preseason games left, it will be interesting to see how much of an opportunity the Islanders will give Jefferies. While making the NHL roster is highly unlikely, he is well-situated to be a key contributor in Bridgeport as he develops into a future NHLer.
