Andre LeBastard: Junior Review

[Andre LeBastard 112]

Andre LeBastard

Centre | 6' 3" | 202 lb. | Age: 18 |  |

 

 

Andre LeBastard's journey to the VHLM draft was an interesting one, perhaps not your typical path for most hockey players. Born in Ottawa, Ontario, to a French-Canadian mother, Andre first became interested in hockey at the age of 5, learning to skate with his older brothers on the pond behind his house. In the age-old tradition, the youngest always plays goalie and it was no different for Andre, as his brothers handed him a broken stick with one of those plastic blades attached and an old baseball glove.

 

At first, he was just happy to be involved and dutifully stood in the cheap aluminum net his mother had bought at Simpson-Sears, licking the frozen snot off his upper lip and managing to stop the puck on occasion. This fine state of affairs lasted until his older brothers began raising the puck. Andre, (taking the words of the local parish priest Father Paddy O'Phile to heart), decided it was far better to give than receive and refused to play goalie anymore. 

 

With two older brothers, the boys' mum soon decided that Andre should play centre and his brothers could play the wings. This kept the brothers apart and stopped them fighting and soon taught the youngster how to pass the puck, or risk a slash on the ankles. Several winters passed and with a developing skill at setting up his brothers to score, young Andre had soon graduated from playing on the pond to playing Junior hockey. His preference to pass first was a welcome one for many of his coaches and the young man soon found himself playing for the York-Simcoe Express U18 AAA team. He was given the honour of being made the team Captain for the season. LeBastard would go on to set a club record for assists in a single season for the Express, before another move was on the cards.

 

So, the very next season, the 17 years old Andre LeBastard was drafted into the OHL, by the Sudbury Wolves. There was no stopping the young Ottawa native as his impact was immediate, as he helped the Wolves to a second-place finish which saw Sudbury make the playoffs. Unfortunately, LeBastard was unable to help prevent his new team from being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

 

He would be destined to play for Sudbury for just a single season as well, before the expansion Miami Marauders came calling and decided to draft the play-making centre 23rd overall, with their first-ever draft pick. It will be interesting to see if LeBastard continues this trend. His development with the Miami Marauders continues apace and the 18-year-old could well find himself drafted into the VHL proper, after another single-season campaign at a hockey club.

 

Edited May 29, 2020 by Andre LeBastard