The OHL poured some cold water on one of the league’s hottest players on Tuesday.
Barrie Colts star defenceman Kashawn Aitcheson received a two-game suspension for his altercation with a fan following Saturday’s shootout loss to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
Aitcheson, the 17th-overall pick by the New York Islanders in the 2025 NHL draft, was seen dumping his water bottle on a fan as he came off the ice following the heated contest.
During the game, the Colts blew a 3-1 lead to the host Greyhounds before losing on Marco Mignosa’s winner in the shootout. The forward and his teammates then proceeded to taunt the visitors, with the two sides nearly coming to blows while officials did their best to keep them separated.
As Aitcheson and his teammates left the ice, a fan wearing a red jersey and backwards hat was seen shouting at the Colts players, leading to the defenceman dousing the man with his open water bottle.
It was unclear what the man was saying to the players and if anything was directly aimed at Aitcheson.
What OHL rule book says
The OHL came down on Aitcheson with a two-game suspension for “interacting with a spectator.”
As per the OHL’s rule book: “Any player or non-playing Club personnel who physically interferes with the spectators, becomes involved in an altercation with a spectator, or throws any object at a spectator, shall automatically incur a game misconduct penalty and the Referee shall report all such infractions to the Commissioner who shall have full power to impose such further penalty as he shall deem appropriate.”
The league also gave one-game suspensions to the Soo’s Blake Arrowsmith for slashing and Spencer Evans for “inciting.”
Aitcheson has been one of the junior circuit’s best defencemen so far this season. He leads the OHL in goals by defencemen with 15 and is second in points at the position with 24. He currently is on a seven-game point streak, which will be on hold as he serves his ban.
He is set to miss games against Saginaw on Thursday and Peterborough on Saturday.