'A Dream Come True'

LAS VEGAS – Get ready, Altadore. It’s party time at the Garrison!

While it’s not uncommon to hear small swaths of the crowd erupt after a pick at the NHL Draft (and believe me, this one had some oomph), the famous family pub and eatery will be popping off today in the name of Andrew Basha.

“It’s pretty amazing,” the local product said of being picked by the Flames with 41st overall pick Saturday morning. “Obviously, being a Calgary kid. I grew up being a Flames fan and always had season tickets.

“I had a pretty good feeling about it. It's a dream come true and definitely pretty excited.”

Basha, a sniping forward with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers, said he had a good feeling about the possibility of landing in his hometown.

Ditto the more than 15 family members and five of his “closest buddies” that made the trek to Sin City, supporting their loved one with custom ‘Team Basha’ t-shirts.

“It was amazing,” said his longtime pal, Lachlan Sartison. “It was a long time coming and we've been talking about this for years for Bash. Ever since he was like seven years old, it's always been his dream to get drafted here and to hear his name called is an amazing experience and we're super, super happy for him.”

Having grown up cheering for the likes of Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan – and in his formative years, Miikka Kiprusoff – Basha is as hardcore a Flames fan as you’ll find in our city.

He even wears No. 34 in Medicine Hat as a nod to Kipper himself.

And now, he’ll have a chance to author his own story in that iconic red sweater he wore the ‘Dome for so many years already.

“I don't know if I got too much sleep last night,” said Basha, who wears No. 34 with the Tigers in honour of Kipper. “I had high hopes and that's all you can have. Any kid would've loved to go (in the first round), but it's a dream come true to go anywhere – and obviously with the Flames, it's pretty special.”

Basha had 30 snipes to go along with 55 helpers last year, before adding another five points (3G, 2A) in five playoff appearances.

The 5-foot-11, 184-lb winger sees the game at a high level and offers a blend of finesse and creativity that made him one of the Dub’s top prospects this year. He was regarded by many as one of the best playmakers in the class, while doing so at high speed and displaying elite edgework.

He models his game after two of the NHL’s best marksmen in Kyle Connor and Jordan Kyrou – a fitting comparison, in almost every way possible.

“I love to play with speed,” he said, still grinning from ear to ear. “I love to play in transition and like to build off my speed and use the transition really well and I like to steal turnovers from the opposition. I think very creative offensively and also relied upon pretty heavily defensively. A player who loves the game, is very passionate, and has a lot of creativity and speed.”