EAST MEADOW, NY — Defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson is a fierce competitor whose physicality is something that New York Islanders fans are going to fall in love with. On the final day of rookie camp, the No. 18 overall pick showcased that physicality with an open-ice hit on 2025 fourth-round pick and No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 CHL Import Draft, Tomas Poletin.
The hit — Aitcheson definitely held up a bit — sent Poletin to the ice.
After the skate, I caught up with Aitcheson to get his thoughts on being able to be more physical as camp has progressed, his excitement for NHL training camp to begin, and more in this Q & A:
Stefen Rosner: We saw some physical play today. I know I’ve asked you about hitting before, but how excited are you for main camp when you can really show that side of your game?
Kashawn Aitcheson: “Yeah, of course. It’s still camp, so you’re not trying to hurt anyone, but I’m definitely super excited to play in more real situations and games — with physicality, guys competing for jobs. This week was a lot of skill work: keeping your head up, making plays, always moving your feet. Main camp is when it gets real.”
Stefen Rosner: With training camp coming up against NHL players, how excited are you? You’re a first-round pick, and while you’ve said you’ll be going back to juniors, there’s still a lot you can prove and showcase.
Kashawn Aitcheson: “Yeah, obviously, I’m going back to juniors, but whenever you’re here, the goal is to try to make the team and push for that kind of spot. You want to learn from the players who are already there, ask questions to the staff, and just soak everything in.”
Stefen Rosner: You’ve never been through an NHL training camp before, but you are going to learn a lot about the NHL game and realize that some things you can get away with in juniors won’t fly at the NHL level. How do you plan to balance that, going back to juniors and not developing habits that may work there in order to develop your game for the NHL level, not necessarily for the OHL?
Kashawn Aitcheson: “I think it’s about doing a lot of video with coaches, talking with development staff, and making sure you’re always focusing on ways to improve for the NHL level. You can’t just assume you’ll make the team next year. You have to keep looking for things to get better at — that’s what keeps the bad habits away.”
Stefen Rosner: Are you excited to go back to Barrie and talk with your teammates about your camp experience?
Kashawn Aitcheson: “Yeah, for sure. We’ve got quite a few guys from Barrie at camps around the NHL, so it’ll be good to talk to all the boys, see how they did, and maybe bring some of the stuff I learned here back with me.”
Stefen Rosner: Are you someone who watches a lot of hockey? Do you plan to watch a ton of Isles hockey?
Kashawn Aitcheson: “Yeah, I try to watch as many games as I can. I’ll definitely be keeping tabs and watching 100%.
