PENTICTON, BC – The Penticton Vees Jr. ‘A’ Hockey Club is pleased to announce defenseman Gabe Bast (96) has committed for the 2014-15 season.
President, General Manager and Head Coach Fred Harbinson, says Bast will have an immediate for the Vees, “This is a player we have tracked for long time; Gabe has led a D-core for one of the most respected Midget Programs in Canada. Gabe will add a steady two-way presence to our blue-line.”
Bast, 17, spent the past two seasons in the Alberta AAA Midget Hockey League (AMHL) with his hometown Reed Deer Optimist Chiefs. This past season the durable rear-guard won his second straight AMHL championship with Chiefs but they lost to eventual Telus Cup bronze medalist Okanagan Rockets in the best-of-three Pacific Region Championship. Bast had nine goals and 22 points in 33 games this season and was the recipient of the AMHL’s Brian Benning Award as the league’s Top Defenseman; he was also named an AMHL Second Team All-Star.
In 2012-2013, Bast won the Telus Cup Midget National Championship in Sault St. Marie, Ontario with the Chiefs, as they blanked Ottawa 5-0 in the Championship game. The accolades didn’t stop there, as Bast was named the 2013 Telus Cup Top Defenseman.
In his two-year Midget career Bast tallied 17 goals and 36 points in 65 regular season games, all the while winning back-to-back AMHL championships and logging substantial minutes on the Chiefs blue-line.
The Vees are excited to welcome Gabe to the team and South Okanagan.
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