As the draft draws near and the rumours intensify about who could land where, we’ll be taking a look at some of the options that could make sense for the Montreal Canadiens. Today, we’ll take a gander at KaShawn Aitcheson.
A robust 6-foot-1 defenseman coming in at 198 pounds, he is yet another left-shot blueliner, but he packs a punch and a physical side that isn’t all that present in the Canadiens’ present defensive corps. Of course, Arber Xhekaj can hit, but the jury is still out on whether or not he’ll be a regular member of the team in the future.
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According to Marco D’Amico from RG.org, Aitcheson could be one of the players the Canadiens are keeping a close eye on in readiness for the draft. In 64 games with the OHL’s Barrie Colts this season, he put up an impressive 59 points. Then, in the playoffs, he produced a further 12 points in 16 tilts.
This represents a 20-point increase in his 2023-24 production, and even more notable, while he accumulated 126 penalty minutes in his second season in Barrie, he reduced this to a more manageable 88 penalty minutes this season. This shows that he has learned how to control his physical game better and recognize where the line is. This is an excellent quality for an 18-year-old, especially since it’s one of the reasons Xhekaj is struggling to establish himself as a real regular under Martin St-Louis.
Despite his high offensive production, Aitcheson also excels in his end, playing a brand of punishing hockey that reminds me of the style of play Marc Bergevin liked his defensemen to play. Combining that style, play, and production in a mobile defenseman would be a winning formula.
Still, according to D’Amico, the Canadiens made several scouting trips to watch Aitcheson play this year, and he’s also represented by Quartexx management, the agency co-founded by GM Kent Hughes, and where he worked until his hiring by the Canadiens.
Even though he’s a left-shot defenseman, the mix of skill and grit he brings to the table could make the rearguard an attractive option for Montreal. Right now, he’s ranked 9th in the Central Scouting Ranking of North American skaters. TSN’s Bob MacKenzie has him in 18th place while Craig Button ranks him at 16th. THN’s Tony Ferrarri isn’t as impressed and only has him in 42nd place, but Ryan Kennedy puts him at number 12. Whoever said scouting was an exact science?
Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
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