Joe Basaraba

History

2008-09: Joe Basaraba was selected in the second round (22nd overall) of the 2008 OHL priority draft but chose to retain his college eligibility and attended Shattuck-St. Mary's in Faribault, MN instead. He scored 20 goals with 22 assists in 50 games with 48 PIM.

2009-10: Basaraba played a second season with Shattuck-St. Mary's. He scored 24 goals and added 22 assists for 46 points. He committed to attending the University of Minnesota-Duluth for the fall of 2010.

2010-11: Basaraba gradually worked his way into the Minnesota-Duluth lineup as a freshman, appearing in 36 of 42 games for the national champion Bulldogs. He scored 3 goals with 2 assists and was -4 with 20 PMs. Basaraba had an assist in the Bulldogs' 4-3 win over Notre Dame in the Frozen Four semifinals.

2011-12: Basaraba emerged as a full-time, two-way player with a strong physical component to his game in his sophomore season at Minnesota-Duluth. He played in 40 of 41 games for the Bulldogs; scoring 7 goals with 9 assists and was plus-eight with 58 penalty minutes (one minute fewer than team-leader J.T. Brown). Three of Basaraba's seven goals were game-winners. After finishing second in the WCHA, the Bulldogs lost in double overtime to Denver in a WCHA tournament semifinal game and were defeated by eventual NCAA champion Boston College in the Northeast Regional Final.

 

Talent Analysis

Basaraba is a big player with a hard shot who likes to hit. To this point, he is not a refined finisher around the net but he uses his size, skating ability and determination to create scoring chances for his team.

 

Future

Basaraba will return to the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs for another run at the Frozen Four. Right now, he should be considered a marginal NHL prospect at best, but should he develop and reach his potential, could become an effective bottom-line player in a checking role.