BSEN Q&A – World Juniors Memories w/ Lassi Thomson

BSEN: What do you remember about that tournament in Ostrava?

LT: Yeah, I mean obviously it’s a pretty cool moment for the young guys to be able to compete against the top guys in our age group. It’s pretty awesome, and I still remember the tournament well.

BSEN: Harrington and Pettersson both had the chance to compete with their home crowd, but how did you handle an away crowd for the whole tournament?

LT: We played in Czechia, so obviously the crowd there was pretty awesome, but we still got a lot of Finnish people around the rink and town because it’s not that far away. I think it was pretty cool, and Czechia had some great fans. They really keep things up and going!

BSEN: Not only were you able to represent your country, but you were also able to captain that team. How special was that for you?

LT: Yeah, I mean it was a big honour for me, as I had never worn the “C” before that, so it was awesome. To see the coaches trust me during that time was cool, I really did not know what to say! It was awesome and a big honour to put the Finnish jersey on with a “C”.

BSEN: Following up on that, was there any teammate that really stuck with you?

LT: I would probably say Matias Maccelli, he was my roommate! We played on the same team in Finland, so I would say him. He was the biggest and a pretty skilled guy, and now he plays in the NHL, so he was pretty cool.

BSEN: What stuck out to you so much about Maccelli, living with him, the type of person he was, maybe how he carried himself?

LT: It was really more about the kind of guy he was. He was always happy and joking around, keeping things light. He talked a lot, which made him easy to get along with, so he was really awesome.

BSEN: So many great goalies in that tournament that you had to go up against. Spencer Knight, Lukas Dostal, one of your goalies in Justus Annunen. You played a big role for that team. Do you remember how you tried to attack these guys?

LT: That one is a tough question because it was so long ago! I mean it’s great to see now how so many of those goalies who played in that tournament are now in the NHL. I knew Dostal before the tournament and played with him, so it’s nice to see how far along he’s come. Truly a great and one of a kind person who doesn’t even feel like a Czechian guy, he feels more like Finnish to me! I am just happy to see how well he has done.

BSEN: As you said, it has been awhile since that World Juniors tournament, but do you remember any lessons that you took from it that still help you today?

LT: Playing on the national team and it being such a big tournament that everyone is watching is massive. You really just try to let the whole feeling pass through and focus on enjoying the game. Obviously those are big games, and you’ll remember them once you retire, so really it’s about enjoying things.

BSEN: Do you still watch the World Juniors much, and if so, what is something you miss about it?

LT: I love watching those games against Sweden. When they are down and cannot win, those ones are the best for me!

BSEN: To finish off, is there anyone that you’ve been keeping your eye on? Maybe someone who reminds you a bit of yourself?

LT: No, not really. Those top guys who are going to go high in the draft, like McKenna or even that kid from Sweden named Stenberg. I like to watch him, and I played with his brother last year, so I would say those two stick out to me. But I don’t watch it too much anymore. They are much younger than me, so I don’t follow that much.

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