In just a few hours, Mathieu Darche doubled the high end of the New York Islanders’ prospect pool in what became an impressive first step toward building sustainability from within.
The new general manager, who has been on the job for roughly one month after the Islanders parted ways with Lou Lamoriello, has already done more for the organization’s pipeline than the last regime (or even two).
After it became clear that Darche and star defenseman Noah Dobson were not going to agree on a new, long-term contract, a trade was made a few hours before the start of the 2025 NHL Draft on Friday — the Islanders already had the No. 1 overall pick — with the Montreal Canadiens to acquire two first-round picks (16th and 17th overall), and 23-year-old winger Emil Heineman.
As expected, the Islanders took defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the first pick on Friday night — the highly-touted 17-year-old an immediate Dobson replacement already eyeing to break into the NHL roster come opening night in October.
“Honestly, I haven’t met many 17-year-old kids that act like him,” Darche said of Schaefer. “By the end of the day, we’re drafting a hell of a hockey player… that hopefully will be on Long Island for a long time and will be a key player in this organization, because he’s a very unique and exciting player.”
While Darche initially tried to trade the 16th and 17th pick to move back up into the top 10 to draft Long Island native James Hagens — it did not work, and he went No. 7 overall to the Boston Bruins — two can’t-miss, high-ceiling prospects fell right into his lap.
Winger Victor Eklund, who was taken at No. 16, projects to be a top-six forward one day, having already recorded 19 goals with 12 assists in the Swedish pro league as an 18-year-old.
Defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson is a physical, bruising defenseman who also brings a surprising amount of skill to his game. While his highlight reels are filled with bone-crushing hits, he set a Barrie Colts (OHL) franchise record for most goals in a single season by a defenseman with 26.
“Sometimes everything happens for a reason, because the guys that we drafted at 16 and 17, we had them much higher on our list,” Darche said. “We’re beyond excited that they were still available at those spots.”
Schaefer, Eklund, and Aitcheson nearly double the number of can’t-miss prospects that the Islanders had entering Friday night.
While Lamoriello built a veteran-laden team in the franchise’s most successful period since the mid-1980s, the farm system had been bare for quite some time. Player development lacked, too, as top prospects like Aatu Raty or William Dufour either did not work out or were traded away.
“I think we replenished the prospect pool really well,” Darche said. “It even started at the last trade deadline when we were able to acquire a first-round pick, even if it’s next year, and Calum Ritchie. We already had some good prospects, and now we drafted three players in the top 17 of a draft. So that’s exciting.”
Ritchie is expected to be on the Islanders’ opening-night roster in four months at 20 years old. The center was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche in the Brock Nelson trade back in March after he made his NHL debut with the Western Conference club. Last year also saw him post 70 points in 47 games with the Oshawa Generals (OHL) and break into the hyper-competitive Canadian national team at the World Juniors.
He was joined atop the Islanders’ prospect list by 2023 second-round pick Danny Nelson, whose expectations catapulted after scoring 13 goals with 13 assists in his sophomore season at Notre Dame. He also posted four goals with two assists at the 2025 World Junior Championships with Team USA.
Cole Eiserman, selected No. 20 overall last year, scored 25 goals in his freshman year at Boston University and added seven points in seven games alongside Nelson at the World Juniors.
“I’m excited because now we have a lot of those kids that have high potential,” Darche said. “You never know what they’ll turn out to be in five years, but they have high potential, so we’re excited.”
