In the first round of today's draft, Basile Sansonnens was selected 31st overall by the Rimouski Oceanic of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, who are set to host the 2025 Memorial Cup in the spring.
Sansonnens, 17, spent the majority of the 2023-24 season in Switzerland's junior league, U20-Elit with Gotteron U20. In 40 games, he had three points (one goal, two assists) and 35 penalty minutes, before going on to add four points in nine playoff games.
The Estavayer, Switzerland native also made his professional debut last season, appearing in four games in NL for HC Fribourg-Gotteron, as well as four games on loan with HCV Martigny in the second tier - Swiss League.
It'll be interesting to see how things go on this front in the coming weeks and months. Ideally, playing in Switzerland would be great for Sansonnens from a development standpoint for, but the opportunity to be apart of Rimouski, who are hosting the Memorial Cup next year, is hard to pass up. Playing for Rimouski would also make it easier for Canucks scouts and even Patrik Allvin to get a first-hand look at how Sansonnens is developing. We'll have to wait and see what all parties involve decide is the best for Basile Sansonnens.
