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Alex Jefferies former Merrimack teammate joining NY Islanders prospects Cole Eiserman and Kemil Bednarik at BU

After three seasons at Merrimack College playing alongside NY Islanders' prospect Alex Jefferies, Matt Copponi is transferring to Boston University where he'll play alongside Cole Eiserman and Kamil Bednarik.

By Michael Stahurski |
2023 Hockey East Championship - Semifinals - Massachusetts-Lowell v Merrimack
2023 Hockey East Championship - Semifinals - Massachusetts-Lowell v Merrimack / Richard T Gagnon/GettyImages

Entering his first full season with the Bridgeport Islanders, Alex Jefferies is one of the NY Islanders' lesser-known prospects. Still, he could potentially make a major impact at the AHL level and hopefully, one day, in the NHL.

Playing four seasons at Merrimack College, Jefferies became one of the Warriors' top players by his sophomore season. In three of Jefferies' collegiate years, he was joined by Edmonton Oilers' 2023 7th-round pick, Matt Copponi.

The two became a dynamic duo on a line together, finishing each season as the team's most dynamic point producers.

A new start alongside new Islanders prospects

After Jefferies suffered an injury shortly before the start of the 2023-24 season, he relied on the chemistry built alongside Copponi to help himself reintegrate into the lineup quickly upon returning to the ice. The two put up impressive numbers in their final season together, with Copponi finishing with 32 points (7 G, 25 A) in 30 games, and Jefferies with 23 (13 G, 10 A) in 22 games.

"Playing with Matty again, we had such good chemistry last season," said Jefferies according to Mike McMahon of The Mack Report. "That familiarity helped me a lot coming back from injury."

With Jefferies moving on to begin his professional career, Copponi will also be moving on from Merrimack, continuing his collegiate career alongside 2024 Islanders draftees Cole Eiserman and Kamil Bednarik at Boston University.

With 2024 first-overall pick, Macklin Cellebrini, leaving BU for the Sharks, there's a massive hole left at the top of the lineup without the Hobey Baker recipient. Though it'll be difficult to replace a player of Cellebrini's status, the Eiserman, Bednarik, and Copponi trio could soften the blow for the Terriers. There's even the potential that the three could be placed on a line together.

Copponi has shown fantastic chemistry with one Islanders prospect in the, now he'll hope to continue that trend with two more.

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