July 6, 2025
The Nationwide Hockey League’s draft highlighted rising range throughout the sport as a document variety of gamers of shade have been drafted.
The Nationwide Hockey League’s current draft highlighted rising range throughout the sport, marking a notable shift in a league the place, simply three years in the past, 84% of gamers, coaches, and entrance workplace employees have been white.
In 2023, the NHL launched its model of NASCAR’s Drive for Variety marketing campaign, the Hockey Variety Alliance, a gaggle whose seeds have been planted within the wake of the 2020 murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. The preliminary chairs of the group have been former NHL gamers P.Ok. Subban and Anson Carter, each of whom are Black. The goal of the group is to create a extra inclusive and welcoming setting in order that one of many NHL’s slogans, “Hockey is for Everybody,” is greater than an promoting marketing campaign.
On draft evening, the work that the variety alliance has put in over the past two years bore fruit, as greater than 20 future NHL gamers from various backgrounds have been chosen within the NHL Draft.
Kashawn Aitcheson was chosen quantity 17 total by the New York Islanders and by advantage of his place as a prime 20 choose, is seen by the group as a participant they will construct round and though his huge bodychecks are positive to garner highlights, he’s seen as a invaluable piece of the workforce’s potential offensive manufacturing, per Islanders Normal Supervisor Mathieu Darche.
“Kashawn, (you) discover all his hits on-line, nice, however take a look at him, he’s virtually a point-a-game man in juniors,” Darche informed NHL.com.
Invoice Zonnon, a 6’2 185 pound winger who additionally has flashed the positional flexibility to play middle, was chosen with choose 22 by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Zonnon is the son of Canadian immigrants who hail from Togo, and Penguins Normal Supervisor Kyle Dubas is worked up by the prospect’s skill to rapidly thrive when he was inserted into the lineup at middle. Zonnon nonetheless has some growth to do, so he’ll play at Blainville-Boisbriand whereas he develops in direction of cracking the NHL roster.
“I believe the factor that was most enjoyable to us was that he actually thrived when he moved to middle,” Dubas informed NHL.com. “He was wonderful at middle. Performs in all conditions. Performs in opposition to the opposite workforce’s greatest gamers. And because the yr went on, it was simply his competitiveness, particularly within the playoffs for them, was actually a driver for his workforce.”
Carter Amico, a 6’5 225 pound two-way defenseman who has the bodily presence related along with his place, was chosen within the second spherical by the Philadelphia Flyers. The 18-year-old Amico has signed a letter of intent to play for Boston College in the course of the 2026-2027 season, and envisions himself within the mildew of Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones and Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Alex Vlasic.
“Seth Jones is a two-way defenseman like me, however I assumed this yr I used to be leaning extra on the defensive aspect,” Amico informed NHL.com. “However total, you’ll be able to play either side of the puck, you’ll be able to defend, you’ll be able to kill, huge, tall right-handed as properly. Vlasic, you realize, actually good defensive presence, shutdown performs, good entry into the home.”
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