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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