Andrew Basha – 2024 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

by

Andrew Basha

2023-24 Team: Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
Date of Birth: Nov. 8, 2005
Place of Birth: Calgary, AB
Ht: 6-foot-0 Wt: 185 pounds
Shoots: L
Position: LW
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2023 first-year eligible

Rankings

Andrew Basha has been one of the most fun prospects to follow in the Western Hockey League (WHL). On a young Medicine Hat Tigers squad featuring potential top-10 pick Cayden Lindstrom and Gavin McKenna, who could be the first overall pick in 2026, Basha stood out for his creativity and ability to create plays out of thin air. Although he may not have the same high-end potential as his teammates, he’s developed into one of the best playmakers in the 2024 Draft.

Andrew Basha Medicine Hat Tigers
Andrew Basha, Medicine Hat Tigers (Image: Brent Just)

Basha’s game is all about quickness. One of his go-to moves is the drop pass. If he’s carrying the puck up ice, he’ll drop the puck to a linemate, following closely behind as soon as an opponent pressures him. Because he’s already in the opponent’s face, he can provide a screen and prevent him from responding quickly to the new puck carrier, which creates a ton of space and time for whoever receives it. It’s a quick, subtle play that often results in a scoring opportunity.

If Basha doesn’t have the puck, he’s still trying to quickly identify where he can be to either set up a play or fire off a shot. He has a strong, quick wrist shot that can often beat goalies if he catches them unaware. He doesn’t need time to set up a shot, and it can be difficult to read whether he’s setting up for a pass or a shot. Even if the goalie is ready for it, Basha is great at picking places that will force the goalie to scramble to recover from the rebound, leading to yet another scoring chance. The rest of his shots don’t have quite as much power or accuracy, limiting his scoring potential, but he still manages to get it done. This season, his 30 goals finished just four behind McKenna for second on the Tigers, and he led the team in playoff scoring with three goals in five games.

Basha is a very intelligent player, playing a heads-up game that thrives on responding to the environment around him. The only issue is that he doesn’t do it consistently enough. There are tons of clips online that showcase his incredible puck movement and patience when looking for rebounds and scoring opportunities, but in my one live viewing, I wasn’t impressed with his impact, as he looked like he was floating around and disengaged from the play. There were few Tigers more impactful than him this season, and the team suffered several injuries, so his inability to provide a consistent effort every game was noticeable.

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Another thing that has hurt his draft potential is his unwillingness to engage physically with opponents. At 6 feet and 185 pounds, Basha isn’t the smallest player on the ice but often plays like he is, backing off and passing the puck when he senses a hit coming. He has enough skills and awareness to move the puck to a teammate and help the Tigers maintain possession, but in these situations, it could have resulted in a better opportunity rather than a harried pass. Despite his quickness, he doesn’t have the most efficient skating stride, as his short, quick strides limit his top speed and allow faster players to easily catch up with him and pressure him off the puck.

Related: THW’s 2024 NHL Draft Guide

Although Basha has the intelligence to see plays develop and the awareness to put himself in the right position to take a shot or force a turnover, his lack of consistency and intensity prevented him from taking that next step to becoming a top-tier playmaker in the WHL. Thankfully, issues like these can be coached, and with a base knowledge much higher than many of his peers, he will be one to watch following the draft.

Other Draft Profiles

Andrew Basha – NHL Draft Projection

There’s little doubt that Basha will be a first-round pick, but where he falls is harder to project. Some scouts love his vision and playmaking abilities and see him as the Tigers’ main play-driver, while others are concerned that he might be more of a recipient from linemates Lindstrom and Gavin McKenna. Those differing opinions have placed him anywhere from a fringe lottery pick to one of the last picks on day one. Thankfully, his most recent performances in the WHL Playoffs proved that he still could be a top offensive threat even with Lindstrom not at his best. That should guarantee him a place somewhere in the early 20s on draft day.

Quotables

“In his third season with Medicine Hat in the WHL, a skilled prospect who has consistently produced offensively. Possesses high-end puck skills and can both make plays and score. Has impressive skating speed and agility to shake off and beat defenders. Moves smartly and smoothly with and without the puck. Always looking to get himself into scoring areas and can finish with an accurate shot. Excellent vision and creativity and can make difficult passes look easy. Controls the puck and can make plays with speed.” – NHL Central Scouting

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“In my eyes, Basha’s pure playmaking ability is the second-best of any WHL player in this class after Berkly Catton. He is incredibly elusive in the offensive zone and will find excellent passing lanes with ease. His playmaking prowess is demonstrated even more by the deception he mixes into his offensive zone puck handling. I really like Basha’s skating ability as well. There are some key missing elements like power and balance but the edgework maneuvers he uses, along with the frequency he uses them in games, allows his skating to be a big advantage for him against his WHL peers.” – Ben Misfeldt, McKeen’s Hockey

“Basha continues to impress. He plays the game with a mix of skill and tenacity. Basha is the kind of prospect who projects to be able to adapt to whatever role a coach asks of him. His combination of energy and offence are attractive attributes.” – Scott Bukala, Sportsnet

Strengths

  • Vision and Intelligence
  • Puck movement
  • Quickness

Under Construction – Improvements to Make

  • Consistency
  • Intensity
  • Unwillingness to engage physically

NHL Potential

With a late Nov. 2005 birthday and three WHL seasons under his belt, Basha is one of the oldest and most experienced first-time eligible prospects in the 2024 Draft, making his inconsistencies all the more confusing. He’s an incredibly fun player to watch when he’s on, but when he’s not, he’s barely a factor. Still, he’s got plenty of time to iron out those issues, which could make him a middle-six playmaker in the NHL.

Awards/Achievements

Andrew Basha Stats

Videos