The New York Islanders have avoided arbitration with RFA forward Alex Jefferies, signing him to a one-year contract extension, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. According to Friedman, the deal carries a league-minimum $850K NHL salary, $100K AHL salary, and $150K total guarantee.
Jefferies, 24, was a fourth-round pick of the Islanders at the 2020 draft. He signed a two-year entry-level contract with the team in April 2024, under former general manager Lou Lamoriello. Jefferies signed that ELC after a four-year NCAA career at Merrimack College, where he had been a top scorer.
In his junior season, Jefferies potted 14 goals and 41 points in 38 games.
A 6’0″, 194-pound left winger, Jefferies turned pro in the spring of 2024, joining the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders late in their 2023-24 season. He impressed, scoring seven points in 12 games of action. 2024-25 was Jefferies’ first full campaign as a professional, and he had a solid season, posting 13 goals and 29 points in 59 games.
This past season, he repeated his performance, scoring 29 points in 60 games.
Likely as a result of his quality middle-six performances at the AHL level, Jefferies hasn’t had to take too much of a pay cut compared to his entry-level deal. He’s guaranteed $150K for 2026-27, and in each of the two years of his entry-level deal, he was guaranteed an $80K AHL salary and $92.5K signing bonus. That is a $172.5K total guarantee, not too far from what’s on his deal for next season.
The key for Jefferies will be finding a way to either reach another level of scoring at the AHL level, or develop the other areas of his game in order to chase down a call-up for an NHL depth role.
The team at Elite Prospects ranked Jefferies the No. 14 prospect in the Islanders’ system entering last season, with lead scout David St-Louis writing Jefferies’ pure skating ability “may have no match” in the AHL. Leveraging his high-end skating is likely to be Jefferies’ best path to the NHL.
With a new contract now in hand, he can focus on preparing for training camp and for what seems like an extremely important 2026-27 season for his future in the Islanders organization.