The Ottawa Senators addressed their defensive prospect corps with the selection of Finnish blueliner Lassi Thomson with the 19th overall pick last night.
Lassi Thomson joins an Ottawa Senators organisation that is looking to rebuild from the blueline, with new head coach D.J. Smith getting another top prospect to work with over the coming seasons.
The Senators already have the likes of Thomas Chabot, Christian Wolanin and Dylan DeMelo that have impressed, but now have Thomson alongside Erik Brannstrom as future pieces that look set to become regular NHL players.
Prior to his draft year, Thomson spent his entire playing career in his native Finland, working his way through the age groups of Ilves in his hometown of Tampere – during which time he represented his country at their gold medal-winning Under-18 World Junior Championship campaign in 2017/18.
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Last season, however, Thomson made the jump to North America and suited up for the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets, where he truly impressed as a top two-way defensive prospect.
In 63 regular season games, Thomson earned an impressive 17 goals and 41 total points from the blueline, with his skating and shot both being some of the best from defensive prospects entering this year’s draft.
The decision to select a defenceman in the first round is a logical one for general manager Pierre Dorion, with the club taking a leaf out of the Arizona Coyotes playbook – stacking up on defence to give the team a solid foundation to build from.
Some may view the selection of Thomson in particular as a potential reach for the Ottawa Senators, with the Finn being ranked around 30th overall and into the second round heading into the draft.
But his skating and two-way mentality were clearly assets that the Senators just couldn’t pass up, adding a solid prospect to a growing pool of talented.
It looks likely that Thomson will return home this summer and spend the 2019/20 season playing in the Finnish Liiga with Ilves, with fans in Ottawa likely to have to wait another year before potentially seeing him pull on the red, white and black.
Moving back to Finland to play in the top league in the country is a sensible decision for Thomson, who will be able to play at a very competitive level and begin to adjust his game to accommodate playing against fully grown men.
Being a right-handed shot also gives him an excellent chance at making the Ottawa Senators roster earlier on in his career, potentially lining up alongside the previously mentioned Brannstrom, who is a natural lefty.
The Senators are building an impressive prospect pool, particularly on defence, and should have solid foundations in place to build on over the next few seasons.
Dorion now has the 32nd and 44th overall selections to contend with, with some truly talented offensive prospects still currently on the board.
What do you think Sens fans? Are you pleased with the selection of Thomson? Are you pleased to see the team building from the defence? Who should they take in the second round? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!