Thanks to a few trades and a strong draft, the New York Islanders rebuilt their farm system from one of the worst in the NHL to one of the best in just a few months. This was partly by design, as new general manager (GM) Mathieu Darche came in with the goal of winning through a strong farm system.
Darche was hired this offseason to replace Lou Lamoriello, and he went to work. Along with drafting Matthew Schaefer with the top pick, he traded Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens for two 2025 first-round draft picks (and Emil Heineman) to add more prospects to the system, notably Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson.
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These prospects are expected to become key players on the NHL roster eventually, which is why, for the first time in a while, the future is bright on Long Island. However, only a handful of prospects in the system will make the roster on opening night, and some have better chances than others. Here are five Islanders prospects who should make the big club out of training camp this season.
5. Alex Jefferies
At 23 years old, Alex Jefferies is starting to plateau as a prospect. At this point, there’s a good argument that he’s no longer a prospect but a young contributor to the American Hockey League (AHL) roster. That said, Jefferies is better than his stats or overall production indicated from last season.
He only scored 13 goals and 16 assists in 59 games for the Bridgeport Islanders. But it was a rough season for everyone on that team (aside from veteran Chris Terry), and Jeffries is still a talented winger who can become a depth skater at the NHL level someday.
A strong season in the AHL will change the narrative around Jefferies. If he becomes a consistent contributor, then the Islanders might call him up at some point this season. He will also have a lot more help this season, so it’s possible he finds his footing and becomes a key part of the organization’s offense in 2025-26.
4. Matthew Maggio
Like Jefferies, Matthew Maggio looked less like a top prospect last season and more like a fifth-round pick, which he was in 2022. The same thing also happened to William Dufour, who, halfway through a lost season, was traded to the Colorado Avalanche and is now playing overseas. Maggio struggled, with only seven goals and 12 assists in 60 games on a team where everybody struggled, and anything that could go wrong in Bridgeport did….
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