Islanders Prospect Report: May 18, 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.

ROMANO WINS OHL CHAMPIONSHIP 

Luca Romano and the Kitchener Rangers became Ontario Hockey League Champions after they swept the Barrie Colts in the OHL Finals on May 12.  

Romano, the Islanders’ 2025 third-rounder (74th overall), scored the opening goal in their 4-2 win in Game 4 to win the J. Ross Robertson Cup and punch their ticket to the Memorial Cup.  

Romano rifled a shot from the right circle to open the scoring at the 13:38 mark of the game. He earned third star of the game honors. 

The 18-year-old recorded eight points (3G, 5A) - including one shorthanded goal and one game-winning goal - through 18 postseason games.

ROMANO AND POLETIN TO PLAY IN MEMORIAL CUP 

Romano and Kitchener and Tomas Poletin and the Kelowna Rockets are gearing up to compete for the top prize in Canadian junior hockey, as they’ve secured their spots in the 2026 Memorial Cup, which kicks off on Friday.  

Romano and Kitchener qualified as the OHL champions, while Poletin and the Rockets are the host city for this year’s tournament. They have not played since Apr. 17 when they were eliminated by the Everett Silvertips 4-1 in the second round of the Western Hockey League (WHL) Playoffs.

Poletin, the Islanders’ 2025 fourth-round pick (106th overall) collected five points (2G, 3A) through nine postseason games. That followed a rookie campaign where the 19-year-old winger recorded 35 points (20G, 15A) and a plus-14 rating through 43 regular season games. 

See below for the breakdown of the Memorial Cup schedule.  

Round-Robin – Game 1 – Friday, May 22 – Kitchener vs. Kelowna (9 p.m. ET) 

Round-Robin – Game 2 – Saturday, May 23 – Everett vs. Chicoutimi (9 p.m. ET) 

Round-Robin – Game 3 – Sunday, May 24 – Kelowna vs. Chicoutimi (9 p.m. ET) 

Round-Robin – Game 4 – Monday, May 25 – Everett vs. Kitchener (9 p.m. ET) 

Round-Robin – Game 5 – Tuesday, May 26 – Chicoutimi vs. Kitchener (9 p.m. ET) 

Round-Robin – Game 6 – Wednesday, May 27 – Kelowna vs. Everett (9 p.m. ET) 

Tie-Breaker (if necessary) – Thursday, May 28 (9 p.m. ET) 

Semifinal – Friday, May 29 (9 p.m. ET) 

Championship – Sunday, May 31 (7 p.m. ET) 

AITCHESON AND COLTS ELIMINATED IN OHL FINALS

Kashawn Aitcheson and the Barrie Colts were swept by Kitchener in the OHL Finals.  

The 2025 17th overall pick was held off the scoresheet in a 4-2 loss in Game 4. The 19-year-old defenseman contributed four points (2G, 2A) in the series. He shattered career highs across the board with 27 points (8G, 19A) through 19 playoff games, which marks the deepest run he’s been on with Barrie in his four seasons with the franchise. His 19 assists were tied for most helpers in the 2026 OHL playoffs.  

STATS

CHL 

Kashawn Aitcheson (Barrie) OHL | 56GP, 28G, 42A, 70P, 97PIM 

Kashawn Aitcheson (Playoffs) | 19GP, 8G, 19A, 27P, 25PIM 

Luca Romano (Kitchener) OHL | 55GP, 14G, 19A, 33P, 22PIM 

Luca Romano (Playoffs) | 18GP, 3G, 5A, 8P, 12PIM