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Former Oilers draft pick Matt Copponi signs with AHL Marlies

Photo credit: Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun / Imagn Images

By Zach Laing

Jul 11, 2026, 17:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 11, 2026, 17:29 EDT

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Matt Copponi has left the Edmonton Oilers organization, signing a one-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs AHL affiliate, the Marlies.

Copponi, 23, was selected by the Oilers in the seventh round, 216th overall, of the 2023 draft after scoring 14 goals and 29 points in 37 games at the NCAA’s Merrimack College. He returned to the Warriors program the following year, scoring seven goals and 32 points in 30 games, before transferring to Boston University for his final season, scoring six goals and 24 points in 40 games.

He turned pro at the end of the 2024-25 season, getting three games in with the Oilers AHL affiliate Bakersfield Condors, scoring two assists. Last season, however, he would spend more time in the ECHL than the AHL, scoring 10 goals and 29 points in 40 games with the Fort Wayne Komets, and two goals and three points in 29 games with the Condors.

Copponi was quoted by The Athletic in a June 2025 article talking about how now assistant general manager Kalle Larsson had helped improve the organization’s development plans for prospects.

“It’s been a really big improvement just from the help from the staff this year compared to last year because the staff is much bigger,” Copponi said. “It’s helped me a lot in my day-to-day practice. I’ve learned little habits and little details for my game that I can improve on.”

The Marlies are the defending Calder Cup champions.

Copponi’s draft rights with the Oilers expired last August, but he had signed a two-year AHL contract with the Condors ahead of last season. There’s been no public reporting about what led to him getting out of the second year of the deal.

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Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor and The Nation Network’s news director. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

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