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Bastian a study in power
- Updated: June 1, 2016
Mississauga Steelheads right wing Nathan Bastian doesn’t mind the daily grind associated with being a prototypical power forward in the Ontario Hockey League.
It’s a role the 6-foot-3, 205-pound right-hand shot has become accustomed. Bastian is a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of player and that’s usually by way of using his size and skill to create offense.
“I’m able to play a power-forward game, but it’s hard sometimes,” Bastian said. “I’m always in the corners, trying to be first on the puck. I don’t look at it as much as a grind as maybe it might look like because I’m also having fun and running into guys. That’s my style and that’s how I’ve been playing the past couple of years.
“That’s what helps make me be successful.”
Bastian has a knack for working hard below the dots, which isn’t all that common among junior hockey players. It’s a quality that has made him an attractive prospect to NHL scouts. Bastian is No. 35 on NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters eligible for the 2016 NHL Draft.
“He’s responsible with and without the puck and plays with an edge, making himself hard to play against,” said Dan Marr, NHL Director of Central Scouting.
The 2016 draft will be at First Niagara Center in Buffalo, N.Y., from June 24-25.
“[Bastian] is a big, strong forward who possesses good hands and a scoring touch,” Central Scouting’s Matt Ryan said. “He has good hockey sense and underrated passing ability. I like the fact he’s hard on pucks and plays a physical game.”
Bastian finished third on the …
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