LOS ANGELES -- After acquiring picks No. 16 and No. 17 in the deal that sent Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens, the New York Islanders selected left winger William Eklund and left-side defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson.
Both will be at development camp, which begins Monday.
William Eklund:
With the 16th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, the New York Islanders selected winger Victor Eklund from Sweden’s second pro league, HockeyAllsvenskan.
Eklund tallied 19 goals with 12 assists for 31 points in 41 games with Djurgardens.
“It's pretty nice to get drafted, especially in the first round, but yeah, didn't really care about what pick," Eklund said. "The biggest thing is the team and the organization. And I'm pretty happy this was the case, because I feel like New York Islanders is a very, very good organization.”
At 5’11” and 170 pounds, Eklund has an impressive motor and compete level in all three zones. Eklund excels at turning forechecks into quality chances, and the winger possesses high-end playmaking—contrary to his statline, which portrays the Swede as more of a pure goal-scorer.
Always around the slot, Eklund is a gifted, all-around offensive creator who should not be overshadowed by Djurgardens teammate Anton Frondell. Frondell was selected third overall by the Chicago Blackhawks.
Eklund’s tenacity and pace are shared by his brother William Eklund, who was the seventh overall pick to the San Jose Sharks in 2021.
Rated as high as 4th overall on scouts’ boards, Eklund fell to New York at 16th partly due to size and the prioritization of centers in this draft. After general manager Mathieu Darche elected not to trade the 16th and 17th overall picks from the Dobson deal, the Islanders went the route of best available with Eklund.
Eklund plans to go back to play in Sweden for the 2025-26 season following development camp.
Kashawn Aitcheson:
With the 17th overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft, the New York Islanders picked defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson from the Barrie Colts of the OHL.
Aitcheson scored 26 goals with 33 assists for 59 points in 64 games.
Standing at 6’1” and 198 pounds, Aitcheson might be the most tenacious, physical player of the draft. The left-shot defenseman takes every opportunity to hit and is a responsible “spot defender,” according to EliteProspects.
“I’m a two-way defenseman that will go against the other team’s top lines, be in their face, get under people’s skin and mix it up," Aitcheson said.
During his draft year, Aitcheson added a new level of offense to his game, especially with shooting. Aitcheson finished third in OHL goal-scoring by defensemen.
Similar to Eklund, Aitcheson was expected to be drafted earlier due to his unique compete level but fell into the Islanders’ lap at 17th overall.
Kai Russell contributed to this story.