Senators ink 2019 first-rounder Lassi Thomson to entry-level contract
OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators signed 2019 first-round draft pick Lassi Thomson to a three-year, entry-level contract on Monday.
Selected 19th overall last month in Vancouver, the 18-year-old defenceman had 17 goals and 41 points with the Western Hockey League’s Kelowna Rockets in 2018-19, his first playing in North America.
Ottawa acquired the pick used on the native of Tampere, Finland, in the deal that sent Matt Duchene to the Columbus Blue Jackets prior to February’s trade deadline.
The rebuilding Senators, who finished last in the NHL’s overall standings in 2018-19, dealt away their original pick — which wound up being No. 4 overall — to the Colorado Avalanche as part of the swap for Duchene in November 2017.