Thomas Chabot

**Thomas Chabot** (born on January 30, 1997 in Sainte-Marie, Quebec, Canada) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenseman and alternate captain of the Ottawa Senators of the NHL.

Chabot was drafted in the first round (18th overall) by the Senators in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

## Playing Career

Thomas played in the 2009 and 2010 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with his minor ice hockey team from the Beauce-Nord area.

He was drafted by the Saint John Sea Dogs in the second round (22nd overall) of the 2013 QMJHL Entry Draft, and he played 55 games with the Sea Dogs during the 2013–14 QMJHL season. The following season, his outstanding play was rewarded when he was selected to play in the 2015 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.

Thomas attended the Senators' 2015–16 rookie and main training camps after taking part in Hockey Canada's National Team Summer Showcase held in Calgary during late-summer, playing in three preseason games with Ottawa. He was returned to Saint John on September 30, 2015, the same day he signed a three-year entry level contract with Ottawa.

A year later, he attended the Senators' 2016–17 training camp and made the team, making his NHL debut on October 18, 2016 versus the Arizona Coyotes. He was later returned to the Sea Dogs for his final major junior season after playing in one game with the Senators. At the end of the 2016–17 season, he earned the Sea Dogs' Top Defenceman Award and the Fans Choice Award.

To start the 2017–18 season, he was sent to Ottawa's AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators, where he recorded two goals and five assists in 12 games before being recalled by Ottawa in November.

He scored his first NHL goal, along with two assists, in a 6–5 win over the New York Islanders on December 1, 2017. During his first NHL season, he finished with 9 goals and 16 assists for 25 points in 63 games, while averaging less than 18 minutes of ice-time per game.

Thomas had a breakout season in the 2018–19 season, finishing with 55 points in 70 games, the 10th-highest among NHL defensemen. As the season progressed, his ice-time jumped to an average of 25 minutes per game and he assumed first-pairing duties.

He was one of only three defensemen under the age of 25 to score 50 points or more, along with Jacob Trouba and Morgan Rielly).

With Ottawa's top two scorers, Mark Stone and Matt Duchene (who were both traded at the deadline), he finished the season as the team's leading scorer.

Following the season, hockey writers began listing him as one of the NHL's top defensemen; in September 2019, he signed an eight-year, $64 million contract extension with the Senators.

## International Play

Thomas played at the 2015 IIHF World U18 Championships where he won a bronze medal with Team Canada. On December 1, 2015, he was invited to the Team Canada selection camp for the 2016 World Junior Hockey Championships.

He was selected as an alternate captain for Team Canada at the 2017 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He helped guide Canada to a silver medal and was one of the top five scorers in the tournament.

On April 12, 2018, Thomas was one of the 18 players to be named to the 2018 IIHF World Championship to represent Canada. He finished the tournament with 1 point in 6 games.

On April 29, 2019, Thomas was again named to represent Canada at the 2019 IIHF World Championship. He helped Canada progress through to the playoff rounds before losing the final to Finland to finish with the Silver Medal on May 26, 2019.