Sens Prospects Annual Review: Defence

In the second instalment of the 2019-20 year in review of Ottawa's top prospects, we'll be focusing on defence. Three defencemen, all first-round draft picks, are under the spotlight today.

Lassi Thomson

Leading things off is Ottawa's first pick from the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Lassi Thomson. After a solid rookie season with the WHL's Kelowna Rockets, the right-shot native of Tampere, Finland was the 19th selection last summer.

A few weeks later, Thomson announced that he would be turning pro to play with his hometown team Ilves Tampere. A little over a week before he turned 19 years old, he had a memorable Liiga debut, scoring twice as the game's second star.

Despite missing a month of game action due to an early-season injury, Thomson averaged nearly 15 minutes per game in Finland's top league. His steady play did not go unnoticed, and he was named captain of Team Finland for the 2020 World Junior Championships.

Unfortunately, Finland's roster was depleted with injuries and fell just short of a medal - losing 3-2 to Sweden in the bronze medal game. Thomson recorded 3 assists in the tournament before returning to Ilves where he would play out the remainder of the season. He finished with an impressive 7 goals and 13 points in 39 games.

Jacob Bernard-Docker

In the University of North Dakota's opening series of the season, Jacob Bernard-Docker had a 4-point game. It was a sign of things to come for the Senators' second first-round pick from the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. 'JBD' as he's known may have gone a little under the radar during his time with the UND Fighting Hawks, but fans got to know him much better as a shutdown specialist with Team Canada at the 2020 World Junior Championship.

When the right-shot defenceman wasn't matching up against the opposition's top lines or delivering thundering body checks, JBD showed that he could chip in offensively too. He fired a stretch pass that set up the eventual gold-medal-winning goal.

From start to finish, it was a season to remember for Bernard-Docker. In addition to his gold medal, JBD earned NCHC defenceman of the week honours in early December. He was a pivotal player in the he Fighting Hawks' Penrose Cup performance, a trophy awarded to the NCHC's regular-season champion.

After setting new career highs in all offensive categories with 7 goals and 25 points in 32 games, he informed the Senators that he intends to return to UND for his junior year next season. Along with fellow prospect Shane Pinto, JBD will be counted on to be a leader for one of the NCAA's top teams.

Erik Brannstrom

The oldest prospect among this group, Erik Brannstrom was a first-round selection by the Vegas Golden Knights at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. Acquired at the trade deadline in February 2019, he made his NHL debut with Ottawa shortly thereafter. A few months later, he stuck with the Senators out of training camp and spent nearly half a season with the big club. He recorded his first career NHL point in the process, posting 4 points in 31 games.

In early December, he was assigned to the AHL's Belleville Senators to get more playing time. Brannstrom made an immediate impact, posting 4 points in 4 games, including his first goal as a member of the Senators organization. He was quickly recalled by Ottawa.

When the calendar turned to 2020, Brannstrom was reassigned to Belleville for the rest of the season. He was a pivotal player for the BSens down the stretch, producing at nearly a point-per-game pace. His 3 goals and 23 points in 27 games were good for second on the team in scoring by defencemen. Unfortunately, his season ended even sooner than it did for most when he sustained a wrist injury in late February.

With an offseason of rehab and training ahead of him, Brannstrom will be pushing for a full-time roster spot in Ottawa when the 2020-21 training camp begins.

Honourable mentions: Jonny Tychonick, Olle Alsing, Maxence Guenette

Keep an eye out for the next year in review post that will recap Ottawa's top goaltending prospects. Follow Henry as

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