Thomson, aged 18, was selected by the Senators with their first pick (19th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft held last month in Vancouver. Senators fans had the opportunity to see Thomson on the ice with the rest of the 2019 draft class during the team's recent development camp, which wrapped up on June 30.

The native of Tampere, Finland spent last season with the Western Hockey League's Kelowna Rockets, scoring 17 goals and 41 points. Both the goal and point totals led all WHL rookie defencemen, while the 17 goals were tied for third in the league among all rearguards.

"Lassi has great offensive instincts and an NHL-calibre shot," said general manager Pierre Dorion. "He also brings a high compete level - he's always moving his feet and driving the pace of play. We came away from development camp in Ottawa very impressed and feel that he is going to be an important piece of our team's future."

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