NY Islanders Youngster Happy To Be on Same Side as Jay McKee

A young New York Islanders player is looking forward to playing under Jay McKee.

Feb 26, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; View of a New York Islanders logo on a jersey worn by a member of the team during the third period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Islanders' AHL affiliate underwent some massive changes this offseason.

They are no longer the Bridgeport Islanders, as their new AHL team is the Hamilton Hammers. Along with the rebrand, there is going to be a new head coach leading the squad on the ice.

Rocky Thompson, the previous head coach at Bridgeport, was promoted to assistant under Islanders’ head coach Peter DeBoer. Taking his place as the AHL head coach with Hamilton is Jay McKee.

He made a great first impression during development camp on DeBoer, who had heard plenty of good things about McKee. Every team he has joined has immediately found success, which New York prospect Kashawn Aitcheson has seen firsthand.

Kashawn Aitcheson happy to be playing under Jay McKee

Jun 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Kashawn Aitcheson arrives to the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at Peacock Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The No. 17 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft has been playing with the Barrie Colts in the OHL, going up against the Hamilton/Brantford Bulldogs led by McKee. The style of play that he had his squads play with is something Aitcheson remembers being challenged by.

“He always had a top team, and that wasn’t by mistake,” Aitcheson said, via the team’s official website. “Their systems were unreal. They were creative and a super hard team to play against. It was always a challenge to take two points from them.”

Aitcheson and the Colts were able to get the most of McKee and the Bulldogs in their playoff matchup. It is something the head coach jokingly said he “hates him for” - Barrie won the hard-fought Eastern Conference Finals in seven games.

The Islanders defenseman has a major impact for the Colts, leading all OHL defensemen with 27 points during the postseason. His eight goals and 19 assists were also the most among defensemen in the 2026 playoffs. 10 of those points came on the power play.

Kashawn Aitcheson cannot wait to get to work

Jun 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Kashawn Aitcheson is selected as the 17th overall pick to the New York Islanders in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at Peacock Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Already possessing immense respect for McKee, that is only growing now that Aitcheson is on the same team as him. It was only a few days at a development camp thus far, but McKee is making an immediate impact.

“The conversations throughout the week with him and his staff have been great,” Aitcheson said. “They’ve been giving us a ton of information, so it’s now up to us to apply it and be a sponge.”

Already one of the top prospects in the sport, Aitcheson sounds like he is going to take his game to another level under his new head coach. If things go well in the AHL, it won’t be long until he is suiting up in the NHL alongside Matthew Schaefer to create one of the best young blueline tandems in the league.