With the 2025 NHL Entry Draft approaching fast, POHO and GM Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins have their work cut out for them.
With a total of 30 picks over the next three drafts, including 11 this year - which could reduce to 10 if the conditional first-round pick from the New York Rangers defers to 2026 - there will be plenty of opportunity for the Penguins to add impact players. Of their 11 picks in 2025, six of them are in the first three rounds.
After the results of Monday's draft lottery, the Penguins will officially select 11th overall, dropping down two spots from where they originally were at ninth. As such, we have compiled a list of potential draft prospects that should fall around the Penguins' selection.
We recently profiled center Jake O'Brien and forward Victor Eklund. Next up? Defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson.
Penguins Drop Two Slots In NHL Draft, Will Pick 11th OverallIn past draft lotteries, the Pittsburgh Penguins have seen their fair share of luck.
Kashawn Aitcheson
DOB: Sept. 21, 2006
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Left
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 198 pounds
Team: Barrie Colts (OHL)
One of the Penguins' biggest problem areas in the last handful of years has been their backend. They have largely lacked a shutdown defenseman to pair with their high-risk offensive blueliners, and they also haven't had a bona fide two-way defenseman.
There's no guarantee at all that "old-time" blueliner Kashawn Aitcheson would be able to fill either of those roles in any capacity for the Penguins in the future.
But as far as blueliners go, he - by our estimation - truly is one of the best of this draft class.
Aitcheson - who hails from Toronto - is known, first and foremost, for his physical game and his "meanness." He's good in front of the net, isn't afraid to take the body, can box out opponents, and plays much bigger than his size in general. He took a whopping 126 penalty minutes in 64 games in 2023-24 but cut that down a bit to 88 last season.
The young blueliner surely isn't afraid to muck it up. He plays an in-your-face style, and he's a thorn in the side of opponents.
But, perhaps, the biggest development in Aitcheson's game has been on the offensive side. He's good in the transition game and sees the ice well, and he isn't afraid to take matters into his own hands and go 200 feet, either.
And last season's production matches the growth in his offensive game. After recording eight goals and 39 points in 64 games during the 2023-24 season, Aitcheson broke out this season, putting up 26 goals and 59 points in the same number of games.
That goal total is hardly coincidental, too. Aitcheson has a booming shot, making him a weapon on the power play and from the point in the offensive zone. He ended up seventh overall in OHL scoring among defensemen - finishing one point behind Penguins' prospect Emil Pieniniemi - and he was third in goals among blueliners behind only Zayne Parekh and Sam Dickinson, both of whom were already drafted by the Calgary Flames and San Jose Sharks, respectively, in 2024.
2025 NHL Draft: You Will Love Kashawn Aitcheson – As Long As He's On Your TeamThe 2025 NHL draft prospect from OHL Barrie is a throwback defenseman who punishes the opposition and doesn't mind dropping the gloves.
Aitcheson will have to make some improvements to his first-step and decision-making if he is to make an impact at the NHL level, but he certainly has the foundational toolset to be a legitimate two-way defenseman when all is said and done.
Penguins' POHO and GM Kyle Dubas has reiterated that he wants to improve the left side on defense organizationally. While he may look to the restricted free agent market for a serviceable left defenseman, he can also draft a pretty high-ceiling one if the Penguins land on Aitcheson.
All in all, expect Aitcheson to be taken within the top-15 after the season he had with the Colts. If he is available at 11th overall, the Penguins would be wise to strongly consider taking a chance on him, as they need as much defensive depth as possible in their farm system.
Penguins Draft Prospect Profile: Victor EklundWith the 2025 NHL Entry Draft approaching fast, POHO and GM Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins have their work cut out for them.
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