The 2019 NHL Entry Draft is finally in the books and the Ottawa Senators added six new prospects hoping to someday play a role with the team.
The Ottawa Senators entered the draft needing to add prospects that they believed could become key pieces during or after their rebuild, which is likely to take a couple of seasons.
The defence was certainly an area that the team looked to be building from, with new head coach D.J. Smith being defensively minded.
But while the blueline was a clear area the team wanted to build from, adding some intriguing offensive prospects were firmly in the mind of fans – with the team losing a combined 60+ goals at the trade deadline.
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While every year there are names that become mentioned frequently both in mainstream and social media, the Ottawa Senators made a few selections that have surprised many – though general manager Pierre Dorion certainly feels they are the right pieces to the puzzle.
So here at SenShot, let’s take a look at all six players selected by the Senators in the 2019 Draft.
First Round
In the first round of the draft, holding on to the 19th overall pick they acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Ottawa Senators selected defenceman Lassi Thomson.
The 18-year-old Finnish blueliner had a strong draft year playing for the Kelowna Rockets in the WHL – registering 41 total points (17 goals, 24 assists) in 63 regular season games.
This past season what Thomson’s first playing in North America, with the entirety of his career previously being played in his native Finland.
If Thomson doesn’t project to make the Senators roster this season, there is a real chance that he could opt to move back home to play for Ilves in the Finnish Liiga.
As he was drafted out of Canadian major juniors, he wouldn’t be able to play for the Belleville Senators this season, so a year of seasoning in his homeland could certainly be on the cards for the promising two-way player.
More on Thomson’s selection can be found here.