MISSISSAUGA, Ontario — When the 2021-22 OHL season was slated to begin, the Mississauga Steelheads appeared to be set in goal with the tandem of Joe Ranger and Justin DiLauro. However, a third candidate emerged in Delta, British Columbia native Roman Basran.

Having turned 20 this past July, Basran is no stranger to the Canadian Hockey League. He is, however, an OHL rookie, having spent the previous four seasons in the Western Hockey League with the Kelowna Rockets. He even got some playing time last year with eight games as the WHL, unlike the OHL, did operate, albeit on an abbreviated schedule. Nevertheless, Basran has come to Mississauga this season with a fair bit of preparation and experience under his belt, something he hopes will earn him a good name with the blue-and-white.

“We wanted to add a top tier goalie with experience and Roman definitely checks both those boxes,” Steelheads head coach James Richmond said in early October, shortly after acquiring Basran. “We look forward to seeing Roman in the blue and white soon.”

More recently, I spoke with Coach Richmond for some thoughts on his new netminder.

“Roman comes into the OHL after spending his time out in the WHL and brings with him a wealth of experience,” Richmond noted. “He plays with a lot of calmness, which will only benefit our team.”

And so far, it has.

Entering this weekend, Basran’s record with the Steelheads is 1-1-0. That may not look like anything to write home about just yet, but let us not forget, that one, the season is very early and two, his lone victory came on Friday night in his new club’s home-opener against the Ottawa 67’s. He may not have been as busy as his adversary, but he was sharp when he had to be, turning away 20 of 22 shots to preserve the Mississauga win. Basran’s efforts on Friday even earned himself Third Star of the Game honours.

Not bad.

As for fitting in with his new club, it was a seamless transition.

“Roman is a great teammate and has fit into our group very nicely,” Richmond added.

As great as he is as a competitor and as a teammate, it could be argued that Basran has a bit of a chip on his shoulder. Although Coach Richmond didn’t give any hints to this, Basran enters this season having been passed over in the previous two NHL Drafts. Of course, in fairness, that doesn’t mean that the NHL window is closed. Nevertheless, the 6-foot-2 netminder is hoping to garner some serious attention this season from some professional clubs.

After all, there is plenty to like about the British Columbia native.

An unusual stat for goaltenders, Basran registered three assists during his tenure in Kelowna. Additionally, Basran is very athletic in the crease, which comes as a major advantage for teams. He’s even a tad aggressive when he needs to be, smacking around the opposition who set up shop, if you will, in his crease. This was evident on multiple occasions on Friday night against Ottawa.

Entering this season, however, Basran’s numbers, while not terrible, were not near tops in the WHL, either. In his four seasons in Kelowna, the 20-year-old averaged a save percentage just a shade above .90 and a goals-against average just under 2.9. In the win-loss-tie column, Basran put up respectable numbers, going 52-40-11 during his time with the Rockets.

His new tenure with the Mississauga Steelheads, however, signals, at the risk of sounding hyperbolic, a new lease of life for Basran.

Being in his overage year, it could be suggested that the 2021-22 campaign is a make-or-break year for the former Kelowna Rocket. Of course, Basran is simply looking to help the Steelheads win on top of bolstering his own game and his own level of confidence.

There may be more of a logjam in the Steelheads goal with the aforementioned Ranger and DiLauro also competing for ice time, but Basran is in the 905 to establish his own game first and foremost.

The OHL season just kicked off this month and will have plenty of twists and turns along the way. You can be sure that Basran will be with the Steelheads every step of the way, helping them fight for a playoff spot and, who knows, maybe even take them far in the playoffs. But let’s not put the cart before the horse just yet.

The Mississauga Steelheads are off to a good start and part of that is thanks to the contributions of the former WHLer. What else the big netminder has in store, we will have to wait and see. For now, though, it is clear that the Mississauga Steelheads have a winner in Besran.

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