NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Andrew Basha scans for options with the puck in the first period of the Tigers' 4-3 loss Saturday at Co-op Place to the Red Deer Rebels. The Calgary Flames signed Basha to a three-year, entry level contract.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Andrew Basha has been pinching himself the last couple of days.
The Medicine Hat Tigers forward has had a whirlwind few months, coming off a 41st selection by his childhood team the Calgary Flames in June’s NHL Draft. He’s coming off his first NHL training camp and first two preseason games with the Flames, already fulfilling childhood aspirations.
A young Basha would only be gleaming with the news Sunday, the Flames signed the 18-year-old to a three-year entry-level contract.
“It’s very surreal, it’s honestly just hard to put into words fully what it means to me,” Basha said. “Five year old me would just be beaming right now, I’m trying to bite my tongue a little bit, try and act normal, but it’s obviously very amazing.”
He had an assist in his two preseason games and was only returned to Medicine Hat last week, ahead of their two-game weekend set against the Red Deer Rebels. He had an assist in the Tigers 4-2 loss Friday at Red Deer and a goal in Saturday’s 4-3 loss at Co-op Place.
Basha entered training camp with the goal of being signed, knowing he’d have to impress to earn a deal after the Flames signed both of their first round picks, OHL Saginaw Spirit defenceman Zayne Parekh and Russian forward Matvei Griffin of the QMJHL Shawnigan Cataractes.
“I just had to put my head down every day and show them I was a really good decision and fortunately my agents and Flames’ management we’re able to get it done fairly quickly,” Basha said.
He joked he tried to keep the signing quiet as long as he could to avoid having to pay for team dinners.
“I’ll probably have to pay for a few things for my roommate Hars (Hayden Harsanyi),” Basha said. “Joe joked I’ve got power play dinner on me, so we’ll see.”
Basha, who turns 19 on Nov. 8, was proud of his camp and preseason performance and says all of the NHL veterans were welcoming to him.
“I think I did a really good job of adapting to the NHL guys, I didn’t have any trouble keeping up with them,” Basha said. “I thought, I did a great job of showing who the player they picked was.
“(Nazem) Kadri is a pretty unbelievable player, so I was trying to gather what I could from him, here and there. But really, all the older guys they have are very quality people.”
He also went into training camp with the goal of making the NHL roster, knowing that he was likely returning to Medicine Hat for his age-19 season in the WHL. Back in the orange and black, for what could be his final season in the WHL, Basha says he’s looking to take his process one day at a time while pushing for his own goals and the ultimate prize.
“I just want to grow my game any way that I can,” Basha said. “I have goals I want to reach throughout this year. So for me to get there, it’s taking it day by day here. Obviously we’re building towards that championship that we want and know we can get.”
Basha wouldn’t share his individual goals, opting to keep them to himself.
