The New York Islanders announced on Wednesday morning that defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson has been returned to his junior team, the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League.
The 17th-overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft took recorded four shots and one hit in his preseason debut on Sunday against the Philadelphia Flyers, playing 18:09 TOI before he absorbed a hit in the third period in left the game. He was back in the lineup for the second preseason game on Tuesday night against the New Jersey Devils, recording one takeaway in 17:48 TOI on a pair with Calle Odelius.
Head Coach Patrick Roy spoke highly of the 19-year-old's performance in both outings. He emphasized the importance of a young defenseman getting reps, so he can confidently head into his season with the Colts with a feel for the NHL game and and idea of the skills he needs to work on.
"I'm very happy with him, I like his physciality out there," Roy said. "I was just like him for my first NHL training camp. I was happy, I went home and knew I could play in the league. I'm sure he feels the same and has learned a lot... I'm sure he's going to go back to [junior] with a big cheese on his face, excited about how things went for him."
The 6'2," 200 lbs. defenseman is entering his fourth OHL season - all with Barrie - coming off a season where he established a career-high 59 points (26G, 33A) in 64 games.
