BY SCOTT HADDOW  
The Kitchener Rangers won the Steve Downie sweepstakes by trading Dowling boy Yves Bastien and three second round draft picks to the Peterborough Petes.
The Rangers showed they were willing to part with a good
deal of their future for the rental of Downie, 19, who has been
one of the most dominating players in the OHL so far this
season.
In 28 games, the rugged 5-10, 195-pound forward has 23 goals
and 59 points, along with 92 penalty minutes and a solid +13
rating.
In his last 18 games, Downie has been the best player in the
OHL producing 17 goals and 42 points in that span.
Bastien, 17, has been solid for the Rangers, even wearing an
assistant captain's letter on his jersey from time to time.
In 39 games, Bastien has 10 goals and 22 points, along with an
impressive +12 rating.
This trade is win-win for both clubs.
Having dispatched their captain, Jean-Michel Rizk to
Mississauga for a fourth round draft pick this past weekend,
the Rangers have picked up a truck load of leadership in the
form of Downie.
The Rangers have assembled a powerful squad designed to win the
OHL. The Rangers will probably make a few more trades to
further solidify their chances.
Kitchener head coach and GM Pete DeBoer has shown remarkable
tact over the last couple of months to turn the Rangers into a
championship threat. Recently, he inked Matthew Martello from
Lake Superior State to play. Martello, a six-foot, 205-pound
centre, had nine points in 18 NCAA Division I games this
season. In his first two games, Martello picked up two points.
DeBoer was also crafty in watching the waiver wire and grabbed
overage forward Peter Tsimikalis from Oshawa. Without giving up
a player or a draft pick, in Tsimikalis, the Rangers added
another 100-point scorer to the line up. In his first 11 games,
Tsimikalis had seven goals and 21 points.
The bottom line here is Kitchener is one of the top dogs in the
league along with the Barrie Colts.
A preview of the potential OHL championship series takes place
this Friday as the Rangers host the Colts. Game time is 7:30
pm.
Peterborough gets the youth they were looking for in the form
of Bastien. They also get a pile of second draft picks to
rebuild and reload the squad for a run at a title down the
road. With their excellent record of drafting, the Petes have
set themselves up well for the next five years or more with the
three draft picks.
The Petes might even get richer once they deal Daniel Ryder as
well. (It's early Monday morning)
One good thing about this deal for local OHL fans is that we
will get to see Dowling's Bastien play a few more times
during the regular season with the Petes.
Bastien returns on Feb. 12 with the Petes to take on the
Sudbury Wolves at 2 pm.
