Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 15, 2026

Lassi Thomson

Lassi Thomson is a Finnish professional ice hockey who plays as a defenceman for HC Lugano in the Swiss National League. He was selected 19th overall by the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the first round of the 2019 NHL entry draft. He has also previously played for Ilves in Finland and the Malmö Redhawks in Sweden.

Last revised
Jul 15, 2026
Read time
≈ 11 min
Length
2,456 w
Citations
61
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Lassi Thomson
Thomson with the Ottawa Senators in 2021
Born (2000-09-24) 24 September 2000
Tampere, Finland
Height 183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 86 kg (190 lb; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Right
NL team
Former teams		 HC Lugano
Ilves
Ottawa Senators
Malmö Redhawks
NHL draft 19th overall, 2019
Ottawa Senators
Playing career 2019–present

Lassi Thomson (born 24 September 2000) is a Finnish professional ice hockey who plays as a defenceman for HC Lugano in the Swiss National League. He was selected 19th overall by the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the first round of the 2019 NHL entry draft. He has also previously played for Ilves in Finland and the Malmö Redhawks in Sweden.

Playing career

Amateur

Thomson played minor ice hockey in Ilves's development system in Finland.1 In June 2018, he was selected by the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL) 53rd overall in the Canadian Hockey League's 2018 import draft.2 On loan from Ilves, Thomson made his WHL debut in the 2018–19 season and scored 17 goals and 24 assists for 41 points.3 The Rockets finished in a tie with the Kamloops Blazers for the final WHL playoff spot. The two teams played a one-off tiebreaker game to determine the team which would move on. Kamloops won the game 5–1, knocking Kelowna out of playoff contention.4

Professional

Ilves

Thomson decided to return to Ilves for the 2019–20 season, and signed a two-year contract with an option year.56 In his first professional season in Liiga, Thomson appeared in 39 games, scoring seven goals and 13 points.3 However, the season was cut short when the league announced its cancellation on 13 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic,.7 In the following pandemic-shortened 2020–21 season Thomson returned to Ilves to start the season.6 He recorded only two assists in 18 games.3

Ottawa Senators

Thomson was selected by the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the first round, 19th overall, of the 2019 NHL entry draft.8910 On 15 July 2019, Thomson was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Senators.11 He joined Ottawa's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Belleville Senators, during the 2020–21 season and made 35 appearances, tallying one goal and 13 points.3

Thomson was invited to the Senators training camp ahead of the 2021–22 season. On 3 October 2021, he was assigned to AHL.12 Thomson made his NHL debut on 11 November, with the Senators in a 2–0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings after being recalled the same day from Belleville due to a breakout of COVID-19 in the team.13 He recorded his first NHL point in the following game on 13 November on an assist in a 6–3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.14 He was returned to Belleville on 8 December, after playing in eleven games.15 He was recalled for one game on 1 January 2022, against the Toronto Maple Leafs and then called up again on 25 January.16 He finished the season playing in 16 games for the Senators, tallying five points (all assists).317 In 44 games with Belleville, he added ten goals and 26 points.3 Belleville made the playoffs and faced the Rochester Americans in the opening round. However, the Americans eliminated them and in the two games in the series, Thomson was held scoreless.318 At the beginning of the 2022–23 season, Thomson was assigned to Belleville.19 He was recalled by Ottawa on 22 November 2022.20 He was immediately slotted into the roster alongside Nick Holden in the 24 November game versus the Vegas Golden Knights, giving up a goal in the third period.21 He played one more game before being sent back to Belleville.2223 While with Belleville, Thomson suffered an upper-body injury in December that kept him out for 11 games.24 He finished the season with seven goals and 33 points in 56 games with Belleville.3

On 1 October 2023, after being put on waivers by the Senators, Thomson was claimed by the Anaheim Ducks.25 However, Anaheim waived Thomson again one week later, and he was subsequently reclaimed by the Senators.26 He was then assigned to Belleville after no other team put in a claim.27 Thomson played out the 2023–24 season in Belleville, registering six goals and 21 points through 67 regular season games.28 He helped Belleville make it to the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs for the first time in team history, but was surpassed by other prospects.29 In five playoff games, he added two assists.3

Malmö Redhawks and return to Ottawa

As a pending restricted free agent with the Senators, Thomson opted to return to Europe and was signed to a two-year contract with Swedish club, Malmö Redhawks of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), on 13 May 2024.30 In 50 games with Malmö, Thomson scored 17 goals and 29 points.31 The Redhawks made the SHL playoffs and in eight playoff games, he marked three goals and four points.3

On 17 June 2025, Thomson was released from the final year of his contract in the SHL and re-signed by the Ottawa Senators on a one-year, two-way contract.31 He attended Ottawa's training camp and was one of the last cuts by Ottawa at the end of camp. He was placed on waivers in October by the Senators for the purpose of assigning him to Belleville.32 He started the 2025–26 season with Belleville after going unclaimed but was recalled by Ottawa on 19 November after defenceman Thomas Chabot suffered an injury and the team was going on a seven-game West Coast road trip.33 He did not play however, and was returned to Belleville on 22 November.34 On 14 March 2026, he was recalled again, but in his first appearance after being called up on 24 March against the New York Rangers, he was injured in the second period.3536 He returned to the lineup on 28 March and registered his first point of the season on 31 March, assisting on a goal by Michael Amadio in a 6–3 loss to the Florida Panthers.3738 He finished the season with three assists in 11 games with Ottawa and 14 goals and 25 points in 55 appearances with Belleville.3 The Senators made the playoffs, and faced the Carolina Hurricanes in the opening round. Thomson did not play in the first game, but replaced the injured Artem Zub in game two, making his NHL playoff debut on 20 April.39 However, the Senators were swept in the first round by the Hurricanes.40 Thomson went scoreless in his only game.3

HC Lugano

Thomson signed a two-year contract with the Swiss National League team HC Lugano in May 2026.41

International play

Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing  Finland
IIHF World U18 Championship
Gold medal – first place 2018 Russia

Thomson won a gold medal with Finland's Under-18 team at the 2018 IIHF World U18 Championships.1 He was among those players selected to try out for Finland's junior team ahead of the 2019 World Junior Championships. However, he was cut from the team on 21 December 2018.42 He was successful in making the team the following year in 2020 and was named the team's captain going into the 2020 World Junior Championship.43 In seven games in the tournament, he tallied three assists.3 Finland was defeated by Sweden in the bronze medal game to finish fourth in the tournament.44

Personal life

Thomson's father is Scottish.45

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2017–18 Ilves U20 SM-sarja 49 12 15 27 44 — — — — —
2018–19 Kelowna Rockets WHL 63 17 24 41 40 — — — — —
2019–20 Ilves Liiga 39 7 6 13 12 — — — — —
2020–21 Ilves Liiga 18 0 2 2 4 — — — — —
2020–21 Belleville Senators AHL 35 1 12 13 12 — — — — —
2021–22 Belleville Senators AHL 44 10 16 26 54 2 0 0 0 0
2021–22 Ottawa Senators NHL 16 0 5 5 2 — — — — —
2022–23 Belleville Senators AHL 56 7 26 33 28 — — — — —
2022–23 Ottawa Senators NHL 2 0 0 0 4 — — — — —
2023–24 Belleville Senators AHL 67 6 15 21 56 5 0 2 2 2
2024–25 Malmö Redhawks SHL 50 17 12 29 26 8 3 1 4 10
2025–26 Belleville Senators AHL 55 14 11 25 54 — — — — —
2025–26 Ottawa Senators NHL 11 0 3 3 0 1 0 0 0 0
Liiga totals 57 7 8 15 16 — — — — —
SHL totals 50 17 12 29 26 8 3 1 4 10
NHL totals 29 0 8 8 6 — — — — —


International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2018 Finland U18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 7 0 2 2 2
2020 Finland WJC 4th 7 0 3 3 8
Junior totals 14 0 5 5 10

Awards and honours

Award Year
WHL
West Second All-Star Team 2019 46
References

References

  1. "Suomelle alle 18-vuotiaiden maailmanmestaruus – Ilveksestä mukana Lassi Thomson" [Under-18 World Championship for Finland – Lassi Thomson from Ilves] (in Finnish). Ilves. 30 April 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  2. "Rockets select offensive minded Finnish d-man in CHL import draft". KelownaNow. 28 June 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  3. "Lassi Thomson". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  4. Bregolisse, Doris Maria (20 March 2019). "Kelowna Rockets finish season after losing tiebreaker game to Kamloops Blazers". Global News. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  5. "Kelowna Rockets statement regarding Lassi Thomson". Kelowna Rockets. 2 May 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2026 – via CHL.ca.
  6. "Lassi Thomson stays at Ilves with an open-ended loan agreement". Ilves. 20 August 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  7. "Finnish Ice Hockey League Heating Up Again in 2020". Helsinki Times. 29 September 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  8. "Senators take defenceman Lassi Thomson with 19th-overall pick". Sportsnet. 21 June 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  9. "Senators' Lassi Thomson: Bright future for scoring defender". CBS Sports. 21 June 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  10. Garrioch, Bruce (21 June 2019). "Garrioch: At No. 19, Senators select offensive Finnish defenceman Lassi Thomson". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  11. "Senators sign defenceman Lassi Thomson to entry-level contract". Ottawa Senators. 15 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019 – via NHL.com.
  12. Tidcombe, Matt (3 October 2021). "Sens release 13 from training camp". Ottawa Senators. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  13. Garrioch, Bruce (12 November 2021). "Snapshots: Lassi Thomson looked at right home in his NHL debut with the Ottawa Senators". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  14. Desaulniers, David (13 November 2021). "Depleted Senators strike on power plays, hold on to beat Penguins". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  15. Garrioch, Bruce (8 December 2021). "Snapshots: Lassi Thomson sent to Belleville, but he'll be back with Ottawa Senators". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  16. Tidcombe, Matt (25 January 2022). "Thomson gets another look as Sens open homestand". Ottawa Senators. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  17. Mendes, Ian (27 January 2023). "Senators trade tiers: Who stays, who goes at the 2023 NHL trade deadline?". The Athletic. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  18. "Senators fall to Americans in overtime, eliminated from AHL playoffs". TSN. The Canadian Press. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  19. "Senators' Lassi Thomson: Sent down in latest camp cuts". CBS Sports. 1 October 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  20. Ottawa Senators [@Media_Sens] (22 November 2022). "Roster update: The #Sens have re-assigned defenceman Jacob Larsson and have recalled defenceman Lassi Thomson to/from @BellevilleSens" (Tweet). Retrieved 9 May 2023 – via Twitter.
  21. Garrioch, Bruce (24 November 2022). "Garrioch: The Ottawa Senators don't go down without a fight in 4-1 loss to Knights". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  22. "Greig steals the show in NHL debut for Senators as team puts focus on future". Sportsnet. 26 January 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  23. Sens Communications [@Media_Sens] (28 November 2022). "Roster update: The #Sens have re-assigned goaltender Kevin Mandolese and defenceman Lassi Thomson to @BellevilleSens" (Tweet). Retrieved 9 May 2023 – via Twitter.
  24. "Game Day Build-Up: Senators look to turn the page on three-game road trip". Belleville Senators. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  25. "Ducks claim D Thomson off waivers from Senators". TSN. 1 October 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  26. "Senators reclaim Thomson off waivers from Ducks". TSN. 9 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  27. Warne, Steve (9 October 2023). "Lassi Comes Home: Senators Reclaim Defenceman Lassi Thomson Off Waivers". The Hockey News. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  28. "Senators' Lassi Thomson: Signs with SHL team". CBS Sports. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  29. Garrioch, Bruce (13 May 2024). "Lassi goes home: Senators' prospect Lassi Thomson signs in Europe". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  30. "Lassi Thomson förstärker Malmö Redhawks: "Mycket intressant"" [Lassi Thomson strengthens Malmö Redhawks blueline] (in Swedish). Malmö Redhawks. 13 May 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  31. "Senators sign defenceman Lassi Thomson to a two-way contract for the 2025-26 season". Ottawa Senators. 15 June 2025. Retrieved 6 October 2025 – via NHL.com.
  32. Warne, Steve (5 October 2025). "Cutdown Day: Kaliyev Among Seven Ottawa Senators Ticketed For Belleville". The Hockey News. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  33. McGoey, Steven (19 November 2025). "Ottawa Senators Recall Stephen Halliday And Lassi Thomson". The Hockey News. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  34. "Thomson returns to Belleville". Ottawa Senators. 22 November 2025. Retrieved 27 December 2025 – via NHL.com.
  35. "Ice Chips: Sens recall D Thomson from Belleville". TSN. 14 March 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  36. "'Gutsy' Senators shut down Rangers with just four defencemen". Sportsnet. Associated Press. 24 March 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  37. "Senators' Jake Sanderson remains out, Lassi Thomson returns vs. Lightning". Sportsnet. 28 March 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  38. Richards, George (31 March 2026). "Panthers score 5 goals in 1st period, hold off Senators". NHL.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  39. O'Rourke, Sean P. (20 April 2026). "3 Things to Watch: Senators at Hurricanes, Game 2 of Eastern Conference 1st Round". NHL.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  40. "Hurricanes sweep Senators to become first team to advance". ESPN. 25 April 2026. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
  41. Warne, Steve (10 May 2026). "Senators Defenseman Goes From 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs To Signing In Switzerland". The Hockey News. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  42. "Kelowna Rockets' Lassi Thomson released from Finland's World Junior camp". KelownaNow. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  43. "Lassi Thomson named captain for Finland for the U20 World Junior Championships". Ilves. 26 December 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  44. "Sweden earns world junior bronze, beating 2019 champions Finland". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. 5 January 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  45. Markkanen, Panu (22 June 2019). "Thomson ja Heinola varattiin ensimmäisellä kierroksella". NHL.com (in Finnish). Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  46. "WHL announces 2018-19 Conference All-Star Teams". Western Hockey League. 20 March 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
External links