BY JASON THOMPSON  
Even though the Peterborough Petes suffered a shoot-out loss at the hands of the Sudbury Wolves Sunday, Yves Bastien was all smiles as he exited the visitor's locker room after the game.
The Dowling native was met with cheers and applause as a
group of about 30 friends and family members mobbed him.
"Family has been great every time I come to Sudbury. There's
always been a lot of people supporting me," he said, grinning
ear-to-ear after the 3-2 loss.
Bastien, 17, started the season with the Kitchener Rangers but
was acquired by Peterborough, along with three draft picks, for
Steve Downie on Jan. 7.
Downie was the top player on the OHL trading block and the
Rangers paid a hefty price to get him. For the Petes, the
arrival of Bastien and a handful of draft picks mean a bright
future in Peterborough.
"It was definitely hard leaving Kitchener, they're a strong
club but I came to Peterborough and they've been a class-act
organization," Bastien said. The winger has three goals and
nine points in 17 games with the Petes.
"But it worked out for me and I'm playing more so it's better
for my development. I just want to play hockey," he said. "It's
definitely tough seeing Kitchener do well but our young team is
doing good too."
After winning the J. Ross Robertson Cup (awarded to the top
team in the OHL) in 2005-06, Peterborough is in last place in
their division. But with the young talent in their system and
the players acquired by trading Downie and blue-chip prospect
Daniel Ryder at the trade deadline, Bastien said the Petes
should return to championship form before long.
"I think a year from now, or two years from now, we'll be very
strong. We've got a lot of heart and once we get more
experience we'll be fine," he said.
Peterborough head coach Vince Malette said Bastien was given a
vote of confidence by Petes' general manager Jeff Twohey when
the trade was made and he's lived up to those expectations.
"He's a great kid, he's got a lot of character. He works hard
and has great speed and he's adjusted well, he fits right in
with our team," Malette said. "As an organization, we've made
the decision to rebuild with quality players and that's one of
the reasons we acquired him."
While some players might whine or complain about being traded
from a contender to a team that's re-building, Malette said
Bastien isn't one of those guys.
"He left a good team but came into a situation where we have 14
players still under the age of 17. He was happy to come here,
he's in a different role here in terms of ice time and it's
only going to help his development. At the same time, we're
developing a team for the future so he fits right into our
model," Malette said.
Bastien is a big part of Peterborough's specialty teams,
killing penalties and playing on the second power play unit.
But Malette said it's Bastien's speed that makes him dangerous
in both ends of the ice.
"He's definitely the fastest player in the east. He's got
break-away speed," Malette said.
"I don't know about that (being the fastest in the Eastern
Conference)," Bastien said modestly. "I don't really worry
about how fast I go, I just try to get to the puck as quick as
I can."
Despite being on the losing end of a shoot-out Sunday, Bastien
said he doesn't mind the new method of deciding games after
overtime. The shoot-out was introduced in the OHL at the start
of the 2005-06 season.
"I like the shoot-out, it something that brings more excitement
to the game. It's definitely good for the fans and it's always
fun to participate in one."
