Aitcheson Aiming for Spot on Team Canada’s WJC Roster Amid Strong Season for Barrie

Kashawn Aitcheson has already established himself as one of the top players in the Ontario Hockey League - and now he’s going to have a chance to play on an international stage.

The 17th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft has been invited to Team Canada’s Training Camp ahead of the 2026 World Juniors, amped up for the opportunity to represent his country in the middle of a pivotal year.

“The excitement level is obviously through the roof,” Aitcheson said. “It's the biggest tournament in junior hockey in the world. After the draft, the focus starts shifting towards making the NHL teams. But I think before that, everyone's kind of thinking about this tournament. I'm super excited.”

Aitcheson’s numbers this season jump off the page – his 19 goals lead the Barrie Colts and all OHL defensemen, while he ranks second on his team with 32 points. He’s been effective defensively too in his third season in juniors, as his plus-19 rating leads the Colts. Barrie leads the Central Division and stand second in the Eastern Conference with a record of 18-8-1-4 (W-L-OTL-SOL).

“Our team has been gelling super well, we’re finding each other in the right spots,” Aitcheson said. “It’s just been working.”

Hits are not publicly tracked by the OHL, but given Aitcheson’s propensity for physicality, it’s a safe bet that he’d be among the league leaders. That trait was influenced by his uncle, Chris Aitcheson, who played in the Ontario Junior Hockey League from 2010-13 and went on to play D3 hockey at Becker College. From a young age, his uncle’s game became the blueprint for Aitcheson.

“I really looked up to my uncle,” Aitcheson said. “I watched him through my whole childhood, and he played that really mean nasty game where you throw some big hits and get under people's skin, but also kind of produce on the scoresheet.”

Chris gave a detailed explanation to the then-eight-year-old Aitcheson on how to lay a good hit, which he’s putting to good use to this day.

“He taught me a couple tricks and little hints on how to get under guy's skin,” Aitcheson said. “Explaining where to hit on a guy where they don't have much padding to really make them feel it, stuff like that.”

Physicality has always been at the core of Aitcheson’s game. Going back to his first full season in the OHL, he racked up 126 penalty minutes in 2023-24, which ranked third in the league and was two minutes shy of tying first. The PIMs have gone down since then, but the rest of his game has steadily developed throughout his time in the OHL.

“Growing up, I was always that physical guy that would run around,” Aitcheson said. “Over the years, I've been really working on my skill, my shot, and then, doing a lot of video, to learn some situational stuff. I’ve been working on all aspects, and I've been getting better.”

An area that stands out about Aitcheson’s game this season is his eye-catching number of power-play tallies – he leads the Colts with 11 power-play goals through 27 games, surpassing a career-high of nine set through 67 games last year. Trusted by his coach with more power-play time on the top unit, the defenseman has found his groove on the man advantage.

“I'm seeing a lot more power play time in general, which is helping,” Aitcheson said. “I'm just more comfortable in the half wall, I started doing playing there last year, and I think another year of that helped me become more comfortable and more effective.”

Aitcheson came in with high motivation to start the season, fresh off Islanders Rookie Camp and Training Camp, where he absorbed as much as he could to carry into the season.

“It was huge for my development,” Aitcheson said. “You're going against NHL players, going one-on-one, practicing against them, seeing their pace, even just seeing their habits. It really shows you how hard it is to play and make the NHL and have a career, but it also shows you how achievable it is if you put your head down and go to work.”