There is no shortage of promising Finnish skaters from the most recent draft playing in my locale this season. This is especially true on defence, where the likes of Lassi Thomson, Kim Nousiainen, and Anttoni Honka, among others, are off and running in their draft-plus-one season.

Now that these players have a decent sample of play under their belt, the timing seems appropriate for me to take a deep look into these player’s seasons.

Lassi Thomson, D, Ilves

Ottawa Senators, No. 19 Overall, 1st Round, 2019 NHL Draft

The big question for many this summer was whether Thomson, an Ottawa Senators’ first-round pick last June, would continue to play for the Kelowna Rockets in the WHL or move back to Finland to play with Ilves in the Liiga. Ultimately, the Senators signed Thomson to an entry-level