Islanders Prospect Report: Feb. 23, 2026

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.

AITCHESON BREAKS BARRIE COLTS RECORD FOR POINTS BY DEFENSEMAN

Kashawn Aitcheson became the Barrie Colts’ all-time franchise points leader among defensemen  on Saturday.

Aitcheson passed Brandt Clarke (158 points) for the record and did so in style, recording four points (2G, 2A) in a 7-4 win over the Brantford Bulldogs.

His record-breaking point came via a goal on a semi-breakaway that pulled Barrie within one goal, making it 2-1 in the eventual 7-4 win over the Brantford Bulldogs on Saturday. The record was an accomplishment Aitcheson had his sights set on all season.

Aitcheson recorded eight points (4G, 4A) last week, as he helped the Colts go 4-0-0. The Colts are on the verge of clinching a Central Division title.

Aitcheson, the Islanders 2025 first-round pick (17^th overall), tallied a multi-goal game earlier in the week on Monday. Both his goals came in the third period as Barrie won an 8-5 barnburner against the Ottawa 67’s.

The Canadian defenseman also earned a pair of assists on stretch passes as the Colts came back and knocked off the Owen Sound Attack 4-3 in a shootout. Aitcheson’s first came on the game’s opening goal, and his second on the tying score midway through the third period.

The 19-year-old capped off his game with two assists and was the first star of the game.

Aitcheson leads all Barrie defensemen with 61 points (26G, 35A) and all team skaters with 13 power-play goals this season.

KVASNICKA NOTCHES THREE ASSIST GAME

Jacob Kvasnicka’s four-goal streak came to an end, but he added four assists in three games for the Penticton Vees in the Western Hockey League (WHL)

Kvasnicka, who was drafted by the Islanders in the seventh round (202^nd overall) of the 2025 NHL Draft, notched a power-play assist in the Vees’ 3-0 win over the Prince George Cougars on Monday

Five days later, Kvasnicka recorded three assists in a 7-3 win over the Regina Pats.The WHL’s January Player of the Month tallied his 17^th power-play point of the season on the game’s first goal, and then two more at even strength.

The 18-year-old is tied for third on the Vees with 17 power-play points (10G, 7A), and his 10 strikes on the man-advantage is the most on the team. Kvasnicka ranks first on Penticton and second among WHL rookies with 75 points (33G, 42A) this season.

EKULND SCORES FOR THIRD TIME THIS MONTH

Victor Eklund potted a goal in Djurgårdens IF’s 2-1 defeat to Tirma in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) on Saturday.

Eklund, who was drafted by the Islanders in the first round (16^th overall) of the 2025 NHL Draft, has scored in three of his four games in the month of February.

The 19-year-old forward is tied for fifth on Djurgårdens IF with 17 points (5G, 12A) in his first season in Sweden’s top hockey league. He was a key member of Team Sweden as they won the 2026 World Junior Championship in early January.

GIDLOF’S UNBEATEN WEEK

Marcus Gidlof kept a clean sheet in his last two games and pitched a shutout, continuing his solid first Swedish Hockey League (SHL) season.

Gidlof, who was selected by the Islanders in the fifth round (147^th overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft, stopped all 26 shots on goal in Leksands IF’s 3-0 victory over Orebro Hockey on Saturday. The 20-year-old hunkered down and saved 10 shots in Orebro Hockey’s third period rally.

He did not allow a goal in Leksands IF’s 2-1 overtime win over Skelleftea AIK on Thursday, as he entered the game in relief.

Gidlof is 9-14-0 with a 2.89 GAA, .894 SV% and 4 SO this season.

CHL

Kashawn Aitcheson (Barrie) OHL | 46GP, 26G, 35A, 61P, 65PIM

Luca Romano (Kitchener) OHL | 46GP, 12G, 19A, 31P, 16PIM

Burke Hood (Vancouver) WHL | 36GP, 15-15-2, 3.91 GAA, .891 SV%, 0 SO

Jacob Kvasnicka (Penticton) WHL | 54GP, 33G, 42A, 75P, 16PIM

Tomas Poletín (Kelowna) WHL | 35GP, 19G, 12A, 31P, 34PIM

Jesse Nurmi (London) OHL | 21 GP, 13G, 14A, 27P, 8PIM\[CW1\] 

KHL

Daniil Prokhorov | Dynamo Moscow (KHL) | 13GP, 1G, 0A, 1P, 0PIM

Daniil Prokhorov | Dynamo St. Petersburg (VHL) | 25GP, 9G, 9A, 18P, 14PIM

Daniil Prokhorov | MHK Dynamo Moskva (MHL) | 6GP, 2G, 3A, 5P, 0PIM

Dmitry Gamzin | CSKA Moscow (KHL) | 32GP, 17-8-0, 1.65 GAA, .935 SV%, 5 SO

SWEDEN

Victor Eklund | Djurgårdens IF (SHL) | 35GP, 5G, 12A, 17P, 12PIM

Marcus Gidlof | Leksands IF (SHL) | 23GP, 9-14-0, 2.89 GAA, .894 SV%, 4 SO

Dennis Good Bogg | Väsby IK (HockeyEttan) | 7GP, 1G, 1A, 2P, 6PIM

Dennis Good Bogg | Karlskrona HK (HockeyEttan) | 27GP, 0G, 3A, 3P, 41PIM

NCAA

Sam Laurila | North Dakota (NCHC) | 28GP, 0G, 8A, 8P, 23PIM

Quinn Finley | Wisconsin (Big Ten) | 30GP, 13G, 12A, 25P, 20PIM

Zachary Shultz | Wisconsin (Big Ten) | 12GP, 0G, 3A, 3P, 12PIM

Danny Nelson | Notre Dame (Big Ten) | 31GP, 11G, 13A, 24P, 30PIM

Tomas Machu | Providence College (Hockey East) | 30GP, 0G, 4A, 4P, 18PIM

Cole Eiserman | Boston Univ. (Hockey East) | 27GP, 13G, 7A, 20P, 8PIM

Kamil Bednarik | Boston Univ. (Hockey East) | 30GP, 5G, 7A, 12P, 18PIM

Xavier Veilleux | Cornell (ECAC) | 27GP, 5G, 18A, 23P, 8PIM