Andrew Basha

June 2024 – Basha was selected in the second round, 41st overall, by the Calgary Flames in the 2024 NHL Draft. Hadi Kalakeche

April 2024 – Andrew Basha is a lot of fun. Basha is first and foremost an offensive catalyst, leading to a successful season where he was third among WHL eligibles in points. Basha is an entry machine. He’s equal parts quick and agile with a burning top speed to blow by neutral zone checkers. This quickness, along with a tight puckhandle, allows him to slip through the offensive zone to avoid pressure and create lanes for himself. Basha’s tendency to constantly funnel to and arrive at the net also lets him make use of his swift, hard and accurate snapshot or to slap home rebounds and tap-ins. Outside of his skating, Basha’s best attribute is his playmaking. No matter how fast he’s chugging along, Basha’s head is always up, maintaining his keen awareness for where his teammates are to make deceptive and timely slot passes. Especially with his speed, Basha has some checking upside, but at the moment he is not much of a defensive stalwart. His defensive game isn’t porous, and his checking game isn’t uninvolved, but Basha is clearly an offensively-focused player and will require a mentality shift to unlock defensive upside. Overall, Basha projects as a high-end top-nine transporter and playmaker. Luke Sweeney (April Rankings: #19) 

November 2023 – Basha has been hiding in fellow Tiger Cayden Lindstrom’s shadow at times this year, but he more than deserves his flowers. An exceptional skater who consistently explodes out of the defensive zone with the puck on his stick, Basha has been getting more and more comfortable jumpstarting those breakout opportunities with defensive mapping, anticipating play well and positioning himself proactively in his own zone.

On the puck, there are some limiting factors. Although his brain more or less keeps up with his feet, his hands aren’t yet there. He struggles to handle the puck off reception, and doesn’t have the shooting mechanics off-stride figured out yet. The upside if he can get his hands up to speed is interesting, but his versatility could see him become a bottom-six transition force with or without progression in that area. Hadi Kalakeche