The Ducks used the 60th pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft on Lasse Boelius, and the young defenseman already has a season in Finland’s Liiga under his belt.
Boelius spent this past year with Assat, where he appeared in 40 games and finished with a goal and eight points. That total left him tied for seventh in scoring among Assat defensemen, though that number almost certainly would have climbed if he had been able to finish the year. Instead, a season-ending injury in early February shut him down and kept him out of the rest of the season and the playoff run.
He also made a strong impression at the World Junior Tournament, where he played all seven games for Finland and put up two goals and seven points. That production led Finland’s blue line in both goals and points, and only Zayne Parekh and Tomas Galvas finished with more points among all defensemen in the tournament. Finland ended up fourth.
The World Juniors were the first time I saw Boelius play, and the first thing I noticed about him was his size. He’s listed at 6’1”, but he was one of the larger players on the ice at the tournament.
Boelius is a good skater, but will need to improve that skill if he wants to make it to the NHL someday. He has good offensive instincts and does a good job of jumping into the play.
Boelius still has one year left on his contract with Assat and should return to the Liiga next season. The expectations for him are pretty straightforward: stay healthy for a full year, push into the top five in defensive scoring for Assat, and earn another World Juniors look with Finland while taking another step forward.
Long term, he remains several years from the NHL. There’s a chance he could stay in Liiga or another European league after next season, and when he’s ready to come to North America, he’ll join the Gulls in San Diego.
How quickly he adjusts there will help determine when he gets his NHL shot. The earliest that could happen is the 2028-2029 season, though it may come after that.
Boelius is still unsigned by the Ducks, and according to PuckPedica, the team has until June 2029 to get him under an entry-level deal. That gives both sides plenty of time to figure out the right moment. He’s not expected to sign before this coming season, but if his game takes a big jump with Assat, next summer could become a real possibility, with San Diego as the next stop for 2027-2028.
The next prospect update will be on goaltender Vyacheslav Buteyets.
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