Islanders Prospect Report: Mar. 26, 2024

Welcome to the Islanders Prospect Report, a weekly roundup of the Islanders' junior, collegiate and European prospects. Visit our In the System page for more prospect content.

Here are this week's updates on Islanders prospects:

JEFFERIES, RAJANIEMI SIGN ATOs WITH BRIDGEPORT

Alex Jefferies and Matias Rajaniemi each signed an amateur tryout agreement (ATO) with the Bridgeport Islanders this week.

Jefferies, the Islanders’ 2020 fourth-round pick (121st overall) signed an ATO on Wednesday after completing his fourth and final season with the Merrimack Warriors. The Warriors, who finished the season with a record of 13-21-1 and a conference record of 6-17-1, did not qualify for the NCAA tournament this year, which allowed Jefferies to ink the ATO. He made his pro debut for Bridgeport on Friday and earned his first point with a secondary assist.

The 22-year-old winger had a solid season for Merrimack with 23 points (13G, 10A) through 22 games. He earned a nomination for the Hobey Baker Award, which recognizes the top amateur player in the country. 

Through four seasons with Merrimack, Jefferies racked up 97 points (41G, 56A) through 105 games. The Framingham, Massachusetts native set career highs across the board in goals (14), assists (27) and points (41) in his junior season. 

Rajaniemi, who the Islanders drafted 183rd overall in the sixth round of the 2020 NHL Draft, recorded eight assists through 53 games with SaiPa of Liiga this season. Through parts of four seasons in Liiga, the Lahti, Finland native racked up 30 points (4G, 26A) through 200 games.

The 21-year-old defenseman helped Finland capture a silver medal in the 2022 World Junior Championships. He helped Finland win `a bronze medal in 2021.

THREE ISLES PROSPECTS TO COMPETE IN NCAA TOURNAMENT

The NCAA Championship is set to kick off this weekend and the Islanders have three prospects competing in tournament action.

Quinn Finley and Zachary Schulz rounded out their first season in the NCAA with the Wisconsin Badgers and are set to experience playoff action at the collegiate level for the first time. The Badgers finished their regular season with a record of 26-11-2 and are slated to take on Quinnipiac (26-9-2) on Friday in the first round.

Finley, who was drafted 78th overall in the 2022 NHL Draft, concluded his regular season with 15 points (6G, 9A) through 35 games for the Badgers. He has 20 games of prior postseason experience in the USHL for the Madison Capitols and the Chicago Steel.

Schulz, who went 177th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, racked up six points (2G, 4A) in 33 games for the Badgers. The 18-year-old defenseman will compete in the playoffs for the first time. 

Cameron Berg and the North Dakota Fighting Hawks (26-11-2) are slated to take on Michigan (21-14-3) in a Friday night showdown. The Islanders’ 2021 fourth-round draft pick (125th overall) is coming off an outstanding regular season with 37 points (20G, 17A) through 39 games. The center qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time after he played with the Univ. of Nebraska Omaha for two seasons prior to joining North Dakota.  

STATS

CHL:  

Isaiah George | London (OHL) | 68GP, 6G, 24A, 30P, 54PIM  

Justin Gill | Drakkar de Baie-Comeau (QMJHL) | 65GP, 40G, 58A, 98P, 64PIM  

Liiga: 

Aleksi Malinen | JYP | 15GP, 0G, 2A, 2P, 0PIM  

Jesse Nurmi | Kookoo | 19GP, 0G, 2A, 2P, 2PIM  

Matias Rajaniemi | SaiPa | 53GP, 0G, 8A, 8P, 8PIM  

Allsvenskan:  

Dennis Good Bogg | AIK | 10GP, 0G, 1A, 1P, 0PIM  

Dennis Good Bogg | Östersunds IK | 8GP 0G, 1A, 1P | 6PIM

Alexander Ljungkrantz | Almtuna IS | 44GP, 20G, 12A, 32P, 8PIM  

SHL:

Alexander Ljungkrantz | Färjestad BK | 8GP, 0G, 0A, 0P, 0PIM

Calle Odelius | Djurgardens IF | 10GP, 0G, 4A, 4P, 4PIM  

USHL:  

Tomas Machu | Youngstown | 54GP, 0G, 15A, 15P, 72PIM  

NCAA:  

Cameron Berg | North Dakota (NCHC) | 39GP, 20G, 17A, 37P, 8PIM  

Quinn Finley | Wisconsin (Big Ten) | 35GP, 9G, 6A, 15P, 16PIM  

Alex Jefferies | Merrimack (Hockey East) | 22GP, 13G, 10A, 23P, 19PIM  

Danny Nelson | Notre Dame (Big Ten) | 30GP, 9G, 14A, 23P, 32PIM  

Zachary Schulz | Wisconsin (Big Ten) | 33GP, 2G, 4A, 6P, 6PIM