Islanders avoid disaster as Kashawn Aitcheson…
The Islanders prevented a disaster state of affairs after first-round decide Kashawn Aitcheson left Sunday’s preseason recreation following an open-ice hit from Noah Juulsen late in the second period.
Juulsen flew into Aitcheson, whose head was down as he was enjoying the puck ahead, and appeared to join knee on knee, sending the Islanders defenseman down in a heap.
Aitcheson immediately signaled for trainers and was helped off the ice without placing any weight on his left leg as Tony DeAngelo acquired into it with Juulsen.
Aitcheson didn’t return to the sport, but coach Patrick Roy said afterward the defenseman prevented any severe injury.
“He’s fine,” Roy said after the 3-2 shootout loss to the Flyers. “He’s gonna be day to day. It’s a lower body [injury], so he’ll be fine.”
DeAngelo, who was paired with Aitcheson on Sunday, said he thought the hit was clean.
Kashawn Aitcheson is helped off the ice during the Islanders-Flyers preseason recreation on Sept. 21, 2025. Getty Images
“The puck just started dying a little bit. He made a great read. He was jumping up the ice perfectly,” DeAngelo said. “The puck just started fading a bit, and when he goes down, Juulsen makes a good read, makes a fine hit. No big deal. We gotta stick up for each other, though.”
Roy, however, said he thought the hit was knee on knee, though he acknowledged it was a powerful call to make on the ice.
Since it was a preseason recreation without the conventional broadcast manufacturing, there was just one replay angle accessible, making it arduous to inform.
Kashawn Aitcheson skates with the puck during the Islanders-Flyers preseason recreation on Sept. 21, 2025. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
While Aitcheson has not gotten the same quantity of hype as No. 1 decide Matthew Schaefer, the Islanders entrance workplace was elated when the defenseman fell to seventeenth in the draft, where they might take him with one of the picks acquired from the Canadiens in exchange for Noah Dobson.
The 19-year-old, who performs junior hockey with the OHL Barrie Colts, drew comparisons to Jacob Trouba during the draft course of due to his own penchant for big, open-ice hits.
“Thought the kid played a really good game,” DeAngelo said.
The Islanders went scoreless in 3:01 of power-play time after spending Saturday working on particular groups and enjoying their complete top unit Sunday.
“I thought our entries were good. I thought we had possession of the puck,” Roy said. “So it’s a process and time will tell us.”
The Islanders performed a roster that was about 50 p.c NHL and 50 p.c AHL.
David Rittich began in nets, stopping 15-of-16 pictures before Parker Gahagen got here in to relieve him.
Roy said the plan is for every participant in camp to get into at least one of the six preseason video games.
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