The Vancouver Canucks picked a very young defenceman with size with their second-to-last pick of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft when they selected Parker Alcos.
With their final pick of the draft, they picked an even younger defenceman with even more size.
The Canucks selected Swiss defenceman Basile Sansonnens with the 221st pick in the seventh round. The 6'4" Sansonnens doesn't turn 18 until August 19, less than a month before the cutoff for the 2024 draft.
That gives Sansonnens more runway to develop than most of his peers but he may need every inch of that runway.
Sansonnens had just 3 points in 40 games for Gottéron U20 in Switzerland's U20-Elit junior league. While points aren't everything for a defenceman — particularly a defensive defenceman like Sansonnens — they can often be an indication that a player lacks the puck skills to succeed at a higher level.
When Sansonnens did pick up points, it was often on pucks floated toward the net rather than direct passes to dangerous areas.
The U20-Elit league also isn't a league that NHL-caliber prospects stay around in for very long. Just four other NHL draft picks spent any time in the U20-Elit league this past season, with the other skaters spending more time playing against men in Switzerland's top National League or second-division Swiss League. Sansonnens spent just four games in the National League.
In other words, Sansonnens doesn't have the profile of a prospect with much chance of making the NHL. But sometimes a team takes a chance with a seventh-round pick on a player they hope is a diamond in the rough. That might just be Sansonnens, who is well-regarded for his defensive game, with some scouts high on his potential.
"He’s 6’4″ every time he steps on the ice," said Dobber Prospects' Seth Ditchfield. "His straight-line speed and defensive/spatial awareness indicate notable potential as a PK defensive defenseman at the next level. He’ll need to work on bulking up and strengthening his stick, but his projectability to an NHL role positions him for late-round contention."
Sansonnens has been a staple on Switzerland's junior teams at international tournaments since he was 15 and played for Switzerland at both the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and Under-18 World Championship this past year. While he didn't record any points at either tournament, he played a big part in their defence.
"Sansonnens played a big shutdown role for the Swiss defense and helped them reach overtime against the Swedes," reads one scouting report from DailyFaceoff's Steven Ellis. "Sansonnens was poised throughout the game, cutting off rushes and playing feisty in the corners...Sansonnens’ ability to use his strength and reach to knock pucks loose was evident throughout the match."
The foundation of Sansonnens' defensive game is his combination of size and skating, taking away a lot of ice with his reach and mobility.
"Sansonnens is a big, mobile and physical defender, and that fits perfectly with the defensive defenceman game that he plays," said EP Rinkside's Marek Novotny. "There isn't a lot of flash here, but Sansonnens can give you reliable minutes in a depth role, maybe even on the penalty kill, too."
The hope for Sansonnens, then, is that he provides enough value defensively to overlook his limitations with the puck — or that he takes a massive step forward in that area.
That said, there are other obstacles to overcome, with some scouting reports calling out areas of weakness in his defensive game too.
"Hardly an offensive dynamo, yet he stands out as a promising shutdown defenceman with solid 4-way skating, notably effective in backward crossovers and edgework," said a scouting report from DraftPro before cautioning, "Despite his physical approach, particularly effective along the boards, he struggles against fast wingers and needs to boost his backward speed and physical assertiveness.
"During penalty kills, while he identifies passing lanes well, his blocking execution is lacking. Sansonnens must also refine his physical presence; his body checks often lack impact, necessitating further bulking up."
In other words, Sansonnens has a long way to go but that's the case for any seventh-round pick. With his size, skating, and youth, there's a chance that Sansonnens can become an NHL defenceman.
The Canucks recognize that Sansonnens is a project but believe in his potential.
"He’s a big defenceman. He's raw. He moves pretty good for a big guy," said the Canucks' scouting director, Todd Harvey. "We saw him at some tournaments we scouted in that area. So, we’ve seen him a lot and we liked his raw ability and with some growth, there's a good player there."
