As expected, the New York Islanders are returning one of their recent first-round picks to his respective junior program. According to a team announcement, the Islanders have returned defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson to the OHL’s Barrie Colts.
The Toronto, ON native was selected with the 17th overall pick of the 2025 NHL Draft, a draft pick New York acquired from the Montreal Canadiens in the Noah Dobson trade. Aitcheson skated in 64 games for OHL Barrie last season, scoring 26 goals and 59 points, with another six goals and 12 points in 16 postseason contests. He was the 9th-ranked North American skater entering the 2025 NHL Draft by NHL Central Scouting.
Before being returned to the Colts, Aitcheson skated in both preseason games for the Islanders up to this point. In the first game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Aitcheson went scoreless in 18:09 of action, while taking a minor penalty for holding in the second period and putting four shots on net. Unfortunately, due to a collision with Flyers defenseman Noah Juulsen, Aitcheson suffered a minor lower-body injury, although it was mild enough to return to game action last night.
In yesterday’s game against the New Jersey Devils, Aitcheson had a much quieter night on the scoresheet, skating in 17:48 of the contest while registering one takeaway and one giveaway. He’ll return to a Colts team that has already begun its 2025-26 season, securing a win against the Guelph Storm on Saturday.
Given that he’s a recent first-round selection by the Islanders’ new front office regime, they’ll keep a close eye on Aitcheson throughout the season. Assuming his development continues in a positive direction, it’s more than likely Aitcheson will represent Team Canada at the 2025-26 U20 World Junior Championships.