RD Lassi Thomson (2019, 19th, OTT; claimed by ANA; claimed by OTT)

[ChicagoBullsFan]

 

[landy92mack29]

He was awesome tonight in Kelowna's 4-3 OT win. Scored a highlight reel goal where he went end to end and make a great cross ice pass to Foote who scored the OT winner. The 1st couple times I watched him he was alright but the last 2 times he's really coming into his own and starting to take over. Got the 1st star tonight

 

[Stive Morgan]

I was at that game, he was incredible! Stood out the most by far. Every time he had the puck it felt like something was about to happen.

 

[FinPanda]

He was awesome tonight in Kelowna's 4-3 OT win. Scored a highlight reel goal where he went end to end and make a great cross ice pass to Foote who scored the OT winner. The 1st couple times I watched him he was alright but the last 2 times he's really coming into his own and starting to take over. Got the 1st star tonight

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

https://thehockeywriters.com/finlands-thomson-shining-for-whls-rockets/

 

[NCoRe]

Could someone tell me how Lassi is progressing in Kelowna ? What kind of pick are we looking for atm ? 2nd or 3rd round pick ? Or even higher. I allways enjoyed his talents back in Ilves and I think he's gonna be beaty soon. @93LEAFS You allways seem to have some reports. How about it ?

 

[landy92mack29]

Could someone tell me how Lassi is progressing in Kelowna ? What kind of pick are we looking for atm ? 2nd or 3rd round pick ? Or even higher. I allways enjoyed his talents back in Ilves and I think he's gonna be beaty soon. @93LEAFS You allways seem to have some reports. How about it ?

He's really come into his own offensively and I'm expecting him to be a late 1st-early 2nd pick. He's really good moving the puck and picking his spots to rush the puck or join the rush. Has a good shot and is effective on the PP both as a shooter and passer. He gets the bulk of the PP time which I don't agree with as Korczak is better but that's to Thomson's benefit. He needs to improve his defensive play and be more engaging physically but he's improved that part of his game already so he's definitely headed in the right direction.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

2019 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Lassi Thomson

 

[Artorius Horus T]

Kinda slow here, hmm...

Lassi scores 2 goals. = 9+18=27 (0.70 ppg)
- has been the most superior d-man for the Rockets this season, as a rookie

Leads all rookie d-men in goals,assists and points in the WHL
Top 3: Thomson 9+18 | Schmiemann 5+14 | Kubicek 7+11

 

[landy92mack29]

Kinda slow here, hmm...

Lassi scores 2 goals. = 9+18=27 (0.70 ppg)
- has been the most superior d-man for the Rockets this season, as a rookie

Leads all rookie d-men in goals,assists and points in the WHL
Top 3: Thomson 9+18 | Schmiemann 5+14 | Kubicek 7+11

Korczak is their best dman pretty easily as he's used in a shutdown role vs the opponents top guys while Thomson gets #1 PP instead of Korczak. Thomson is still really good especially offensively but he's no Korczak imo.

 

[ConnorMcMullet]

Any updates on this guy? He's someone I want the Oilers to target if they draft a forward in the 1st.

 

[ookhaab]

Any updates on this guy? He's someone I want the Oilers to target if they draft a forward in the 1st.

He is dman though...

 

[ConnorMcMullet]

He is dman though...

I mean target him in the 2nd/3rd if we get a forward in the 1st.

 

[covfefe]

Any updates on this guy? He's someone I want the Oilers to target if they draft a forward in the 1st.

Great offensive instincts, moves the puck well, strong shot, and a bit of a riverboat gambler.

Not great in his own zone, but he's taken steps forward in that direction since the beginning of the year. He's taken a bit of time to adjust to the smaller ice surface, but I'm encouraged by the progress he has made in that department.

Finished the season injured after he took a big collision with Jermaine Loewen who is a very big, strong kid - and possibly one of the best hitters in the WHL. Possibly a separated shoulder, but I'm not totally sure and nothing has come out to that end.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

 

[780il]

If take him if he fell to our 2nd.

Would run away laughing if we somehow got him in the 3rd.

 

[Artorius Horus T]

If take him if he fell to our 2nd.

Would run away laughing if we somehow got him in the 3rd.

I think he will be a late 1st round pick thou. Or really early 2nd rounder.
- i don't believe for his projection to be true in the draft, mid 2nd?, no way.

 

[WeThreeKings]

I think he will be a late 1st round pick thou. Or really early 2nd rounder.
- i don't believe for his projection to be true in the draft, mid 2nd?, no way.

He's a first round talent, and like you said, at worst he's going early 2nd.

New breed defenseman.
Joins the rush.
Great hands and feet.
Good vision.
Unbelievable shot.

If he learns to defend at a passable NHL level, forget about it.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

Kelowna Rockets Lassi Thomson exceeding all expectations

 

[untouchable21]

Skill wise he reminds me a bit of Sandis Ozolinsh. Very intriguing player to watch.

 

[docbenton]

Opinion: Thomson deserves consideration amongst the very best defensemen in this draft. Skating is second only to Broberg, really good hockey sense, skills, shot, plays the game fast and controls the play in every area when he's on the ice. The knocks would be lack of exposure in international competition/higher levels of play, and being a bit older. However at the TPG he was by far the best defenseman on the ice. I think playing on a bad team in Kelowna has hurt him a bit, and that he's could be just as good as guys like Byram, Broberg, Heinola, Soderstrom, if not better.

 

[Lays]

Opinion: Thomson deserves consideration amongst the very best defensemen in this draft. Skating is second only to Broberg, really good hockey sense, skills, shot, plays the game fast and controls the play in every area when he's on the ice. The knocks would be lack of exposure in international competition/higher levels of play, and being a bit older. However at the TPG he was by far the best defenseman on the ice. I think playing on a bad team in Kelowna has hurt him a bit, and that he's could be just as good as guys like Byram, Broberg, Heinola, Soderstrom, if not better.

His skating isn’t that good and he isn’t fast. He makes tons of mistakes in his own zone and while his stick checking is pretty good, he doesn’t show urgency or effort. He’s not creative or dynamic offensively either and mainly relies on his (great) shot to create offense, which worries me. He’s a second rounder for me though I wouldn’t fault anyone for using a late 1st on him. Kaedan Korczak (his teammate and occasional pairing) is a much better prospect that doesn’t get any recognition because he’s not “fun.”

 

[covfefe]

I'm a Rockets season ticket holder. I don't really see how you can think Korczak is a much better prospect than Thomson. If I were to break it down as simply as possible:

- One has great offensive skills, the other doesn't
- One is great defensively, the other isn't

Korczak had every opportunity to seize the PP1 spot, and Thomson stayed there all season. Why? Because he is creative and dynamic offensively - do have to say that I completely disagree with you on that point. His shot is his best asset, but he also knows how to create time and space, and he has an innate ability to misdirect opponents to free up space for his teammates. It's actually kind of comical to watch, because his shoulders are so square, and he has that swimmer's build which screams 'refrigerator.' Not 'misdirection' or 'wait for the juke' or 'shake off.'

Reality is, these two players have similar upsides - as top 4 D. Both could play in the NHL. But Korczak will need to improve his offensive output - and Thomson his defensive output. Korczak is the safer player, and he could likely forge out a career on the bottom pairing with his skating and smarts. Thomson could forge out a career as a PP specialist if things don't progress the right way, but that's a tougher role to occupy and there are also fewer of those spots available.

Realistically, the reason why people think he is a better prospect is because no one on here, save for maybe 10-15 regulars, watch the WHL on a frequent enough basis to get accurate reads on these players. So it's stat watching, "shift-by-shifts" and highlight packages...well, good thing NHL teams don't scout like that...

I watched Thomson all year and he improved by leaps and bounds - from the beginning of the season, to the end. Korczak is a good prospect but if he were way ahead of Lassi, as you suggest, he would be ranked as such. Truth of the matter is, his game hasn't developed a ton year-over-year. Whereas Thomson is the new hot commodity, he had an unexpected breakout season, and he knows how to create offense organically. That last point being something that is valued very highly in today's game.

Korczak is a good prospect, so is Thomson. It'll be really fun to look back at these two guys in 5 years and see who comes out on top. Full disclosure - I expect it to be Korczak. Just my opinion. He had some end-to-end rushes this year that blew me away. Just needs to pull that card out a little more often.

 

[FinnishSniper]

I'm a Rockets season ticket holder. I don't really see how you can think Korczak is a much better prospect than Thomson. If I were to break it down as simply as possible:

- One has great offensive skills, the other doesn't
- One is great defensively, the other isn't

Korczak had every opportunity to seize the PP1 spot, and Thomson stayed there all season. Why? Because he is creative and dynamic offensively - do have to say that I completely disagree with you on that point. His shot is his best asset, but he also knows how to create time and space, and he has an innate ability to misdirect opponents to free up space for his teammates. It's actually kind of comical to watch, because his shoulders are so square, and he has that swimmer's build which screams 'refrigerator.' Not 'misdirection' or 'wait for the juke' or 'shake off.'

Reality is, these two players have similar upsides - as top 4 D. Both could play in the NHL. But Korczak will need to improve his offensive output - and Thomson his defensive output. Korczak is the safer player, and he could likely forge out a career on the bottom pairing with his skating and smarts. Thomson could forge out a career as a PP specialist if things don't progress the right way, but that's a tougher role to occupy and there are also fewer of those spots available.

Realistically, the reason why people think he is a better prospect is because no one on here, save for maybe 10-15 regulars, watch the WHL on a frequent enough basis to get accurate reads on these players. So it's stat watching, "shift-by-shifts" and highlight packages...well, good thing NHL teams don't scout like that...

I watched Thomson all year and he improved by leaps and bounds - from the beginning of the season, to the end. Korczak is a good prospect but if he were way ahead of Lassi, as you suggest, he would be ranked as such. Truth of the matter is, his game hasn't developed a ton year-over-year. Whereas Thomson is the new hot commodity, he had an unexpected breakout season, and he knows how to create offense organically. That last point being something that is valued very highly in today's game.

Korczak is a good prospect, so is Thomson. It'll be really fun to look back at these two guys in 5 years and see who comes out on top. Full disclosure - I expect it to be Korczak. Just my opinion. He had some end-to-end rushes this year that blew me away. Just needs to pull that card out a little more often.

You can learn defense but you can't get great offensive skills!