Saturday, May 3 was an exciting day for local teens Joe Basaraba and Mitch Cain as they were drafted by OHL teams.
Basaraba, who just turned 16, was drafted 22nd overall (out of 301 players taken)—chosen as the second player in the second round by the Erie Otters.
“I was kind of nervous while I was waiting,” admitted Basaraba, who suited up for the Muskie hockey team last season.
“I didn’t expect to go that high. I had no clue when I was going to go, but I didn’t expect that high,” he added. “I was really excited [when they called to say congratulations].
“It was pretty sweet.”
Despite all the excitement, Basaraba said the news hasn’t really sunk in yet. He feels like it’s all kind of an unbelievable dream.
Muskie boys’ head coach Shane Bliss complimented Basaraba by saying that “it was not a matter of ‘if’ he would be selected, but more ‘when’ he would be selected.”
“Getting chosen as highly as he did speaks volumes for his ability and talent,” added Bliss. “He has obviously impressed a lot of people throughout his young career and now, hopefully, he will get the opportunity to take it to the next level.”
Basaraba explained that in the winter he regularly practises five hours a day in the winter and four-five hours a day during the summer months. He expects hockey will become his life more than ever this summer with it actually seeming like a full-time job.
Basaraba is hopeful he will get ice time with Erie. “[The Otters] are a younger team and they didn’t do as well as they could have last year, so I’m hoping that means I’ll get to play,” he noted.
Basaraba has some big hopes and dreams—and they all are starting to come true with him being chosen in the draft. “I’m hoping that I will stick around in the OHL until 2010,” he remarked. “After that, I’m hoping to be drafted into the NHL.”
“Being drafted is an honour but whatever round you get drafted in, it is just the beginning,” warned Bliss. “You need to really prepare physically and mentally to be able to make the jump in the OHL.
“Joe has the right attitude and work ethic and if anyone can step up, it is Joe.”
Cain, meanwhile, was drafted second in the 10th round (183rd overall) by the Windsor Spitfires. The soon-to-be 17-year-old played for the Fort Frances Jr. Sabres this past season.
“It is a great honour and Mitch is very deserving of it,” said Sabres’ head coach Wayne Strachan. “He has worked really hard over the last couple of years in hopes of obtaining this kind of honour.
“It’s great that this has happened.”
Cain, who plays centre, is described as being a very strong skater who also is good at puck handling. And he’s praised as being a bit more of an offensive player.
“In a draft, the team owns your playing rights, which doesn’t necessarily guarantee playing,” noted Strachan. “But a player of Mitch’s calibre has a great shot.
“With his previous junior experience with the Sabres, he really has the skill to make a great impact on the [Windsor Spitfires],” Strachan stressed.
This is the third year in a row that a Muskie players was drafted by the OHL. This speaks volumes in favour of playing with the black-and-gold if you are talented.
Bliss noted “the [Muskie] program carries a lot of respect across the province and players that have the talent and the proper mindset can make it.
“There comes a time when you need to move on, but playing here in town is a great start to any hockey career,” he added.
Three other Northwestern Ontario teens also were drafted back on May 3. Marshall and Mitchell Fox and Cody Fraser, of the Thunder Bay Kings, were drafted by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, Windsor Spitfires, and Sudbury Wolves, respectively.
Carson Dubchak of the Kenora ‘AAA’ Midget Stars also was drafted by the Greyhounds.
Last year, Luke Judson of Emo, Jordan Davis of Devlin, and Pat Bobczynski of Fort Frances were drafted by the Belleville Bulls, Owen Sound Attack, and the Guelph Storm, respectively.
Fort Frances Times
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