- Ottawa selected Jaxon Cover 32nd overall, making him the first player from the Cayman Islands ever drafted into the NHL
- Cover grew up playing roller hockey in Grand Cayman before switching to ice hockey at 13 and starring with the OHL’s London Knights
- Watch the video of Cover’s journey below and keep reading for his incredible path to the draft
The best story of draft night came with the last pick of the first round.
The Ottawa Senators used the 32nd selection on Jaxon Cover from the London Knights, making him the first player from the Cayman Islands ever drafted into the NHL.
His mom could barely hold it together watching from the stands in Buffalo. Hard to blame her.
From Roller Hockey in the Caribbean to the OHL
Cover’s path to the NHL started about as far from a hockey rink as you can get. He grew up in Grand Cayman playing roller hockey. By the time he was eight, he was winning MVP awards in two different age divisions at the North American roller hockey championships. The kid was a natural athlete.
But ice hockey wasn’t in the picture until Cover was around 13. His family moved to the Toronto area, and he made the switch to the ice. It didn’t take long to see the talent was real. Cover worked his way through minor hockey ranks and eventually earned a spot with the London Knights of the OHL.
Check out the NHL’s full prospect profile on Cover’s journey:
Breakout Rookie Season With the Knights
Cover didn’t ease into the OHL. He went right at it. In his rookie season with London, he posted 20 goals and 32 assists for 52 points in 67 games. He led all Knights forwards with 160 shots on goal. That’s a guy who isn’t afraid to put the puck on net.
NHL Central Scouting took notice. Cover climbed from No. 45 on their midseason rankings all the way up to No. 29 on their final list.
He interviewed with 25 of 32 NHL teams during the combine process. Scouts compared his game to Tyler Toffoli for his ability to find soft spots in the offensive zone and finish.
What It Means for the Cayman Islands
This isn’t just a feel-good story for one family. Cover is now the face of hockey in a country that doesn’t have a single regulation ice rink. The Cayman Islands have a small but passionate roller hockey community, and Cover just proved that background can lead somewhere nobody expected.
Cover has committed to Penn State for the 2027-28 season, so the Senators will let him develop at the college level before he makes the jump to pro hockey. Ottawa is building something interesting, and adding a raw, athletic winger with Cover’s ceiling and story to the pipeline only makes it better.
The last pick of the first round ended up being one of the most memorable.
