Building Blue: Busy Basile Sansonnens Prepares for Second World Junior Championships and Pro Hockey in Switzerland

Coming off the busiest year of his life, Swiss defence prospect Basile Sansonnens isn’t resting in the summer. He’s building on the momentum from the past year and taking steps toward becoming a defenceman who can see his game thrive at the professional level.

The 18-year-old was selected in the seventh round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft and came to Canada for the 2024-25 season as a member of the Rimouski Océanic in the QMJHL. He played in 54 regular-season games, 23 playoff games, and three games at the Memorial Cup.

Sansonnens is a 6’4” defender who used this past season to prepare his body for making the jump to pro hockey in Switzerland for the 2025-26 season. He put on a lot of muscle and is roughly 20 pounds heavier than he was when he was drafted.

“I’m getting bigger,” said Sansonnens with a laugh. “Yeah, I’m eating good.”

On top of all his accomplishments this past season, he got the call to play for Switzerland at the 2025 World Junior Championships as an 18-year-old and is preparing to get his second go at the WJC this winter.

Sansonnens spent the last couple of weeks in July at Switzerland’s world junior camp in Finland. He is one of the handful of players who will be returning for a second run with the Swiss team at the WJC, and he is eager to take on more of a leadership role.

“I can be more of a leader this year. I have experience from last year and maybe feel less stress and pressure than the other guys who have never been to this tournament. I want to be a leader and be a guy who helps every other guy play their best,” said Sansonnens.

“I’m always really proud. I’ve spent my whole life in Switzerland, and every time I get to wear the jersey, I’m going to go all in and try to win.”

Sansonnens attended Canucks development camp at the beginning of July and is already working with his Swiss League team in preparation for the upcoming season.

The last few months have been busy with the Memorial Cup, Canucks development camp, World Junior camp in Finland, and now working out with his Swiss team.

He looks back on his time at the Memorial Cup as a tremendous learning experience. He was aware of how popular the tournament was and excited about playing in big pressure situations.

“Everyone has high expectations coming into the tournament and it’s always fun to play in those games where everyone is going to try their hardest and play their best to win,” said Sansonnens. “Those high-pressure games are really fun and obviously a great experience for me.”

Sansonnens was able to spend a week in the Swiss mountains, but aside from that one week off hiking through the mountains with his family, the kid has been working nonstop this offseason.

He wants to be able to play pro hockey in North America someday in the future but is focused on making an impact in the Swiss pro league this coming season. His Swiss team, Lausanne, has five players on their roster with NHL experience, and the 18-year-old is looking forward to learning from the veterans while also staying in constant communication with Canucks development coaches Mikael Samuelsson and Mike Komisarek.

Sansonnens has another big year ahead of him this coming season and is looking forward to growing his game at the professional level while getting his second shot at the World Junior Championships with his home country of Switzerland.