Drake Batherson

Drake Batherson (born April 27, 1998) is an American-born Canadian professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Drake Batherson
Batherson at the 2019 AHL All-Star Game
Born (1998-04-27) April 27, 1998
Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 187 lb (85 kg; 13 st 5 lb)
Position Right Wing
Shoots Right
NHL team Ottawa Senators
NHL Draft 121st overall, 2017
Ottawa Senators
Playing career 2018–present

Personal biography

Batherson has strong family ties to the Senators. He is the son of Norm Batherson, a former professional player who once played for the Ottawa organization with the Prince Edward Island Senators and the Thunder Bay Senators. His uncle Dennis Vial played several seasons with Ottawa in the 1990s and was one of the NHL's most frequent fighters over that time.

Though he grew up in Germany and Canada, Batherson was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana while his father played for the Fort Wayne Komets, and thus he possesses dual Canadian/US citizenship.[1] Early on, he honed his hockey skills in Germany, where his father played seven seasons of pro hockey with four different teams after his North American career had ended.[2] He was then raised in New Minas, in the Annapolis Valley region of western Nova Scotia, where the family settled after his father retired from professional hockey in 2006.[3]

Batherson's sister Mae plays defense for the Kingston Ice Wolves of the Provincial Women's Hockey League. In November 2018, she signed with Syracuse University for the 2019–20 season.[4] His great uncle is Canadian Juno Award-nominated musician Matt Minglewood.[2]

Playing career
Batherson representing the Belleville Senators at the 2019 All-Star Game.

Junior

Following the 2014–15 season with the Valley Wildcats, Batherson was selected in the sixth round, 97th overall by the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in the 2015 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) Entry Draft.[5] Batherson split the 2015–16 season between the Wildcats and Screaming Eagles.

Leading into the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Batherson was ranked 117th among North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Services;[6] he was selected in the fourth round, 121st overall by the Ottawa Senators.

On October 3, 2017, the Senators signed Batherson to a three-year, entry-level contract.[7] He returned to major junior for the 2017–18 season, splitting the year between the Screaming Eagles and the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. Batherson led the QMJHL in points during the 2018 playoffs, scoring 13 goals and adding 20 assists.

Professional

Batherson began the 2018–19 season with the Senators' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Belleville Senators. After recording 20 points in 14 games, he was recalled by Ottawa on November 12.[8] Batherson made his NHL debut with the club on November 15. He scored his first career NHL goal (a game-winning goal) on his first shot in a 2–1 win over the Detroit Red Wings.[9] He would record 3 goals and eight points before being returned to the AHL on December 18.[10]

Batherson found immediate success in the AHL and was later selected to participate in the 2019 AHL All-Star Game, where he scored five goals for the North Division and was named MVP.[11] On February 8, 2019, Batherson set a Belleville Senators franchise record for most goals by a rookie in a season when he scored his 12th goal of the season.[12]

Career statistics
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2014–15 Valley Wildcats MJAHL 4 2 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0
2015–16 Valley Wildcats MJAHL 28 4 15 19 18 6 1 2 3 8
2015–16 Cape Breton Screaming Eagles QMJHL 10 0 2 2 2 — — — — —
2016–17 Cape Breton Screaming Eagles QMJHL 61 22 36 58 70 11 7 5 12 14
2017–18 Cape Breton Screaming Eagles QMJHL 24 17 22 39 39 — — — — —
2017–18 Blainville-Boisbriand Armada QMJHL 27 12 26 38 26 22 13 20 33 19
2018–19 Belleville Senators AHL 59 22 40 62 39 — — — — —
2018–19 Ottawa Senators NHL 20 3 6 9 6 — — — — —
2019–20 Belleville Senators AHL 44 16 38 54 24 — — — — —
2019–20 Ottawa Senators NHL 23 3 7 10 13 — — — — —
NHL totals 436131919 —————

Awards & honors
Award Year
AHL
All-Star Game 2019, 2020 [13]
All-Rookie Team 2019 [14]
Second All-Star Team 2020 [15]

References
  1. Garrioch, Bruce (November 16, 2018). "Sens' Batherson makes an impact in NHL debut". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  2. "Like father, like son: Batherson signs pro deal with Sens". Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  3. "Norman Batherson". Acadia University Hall of Fame. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  4. "Mae Batherson signs with Syracuse University". Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  5. "2015 QMJHL Entry Draft". QMJHL. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  6. "157 CHL Players in Final 2017 NHL Central Scouting Draft Rankings". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  7. "Senators sign Drake Batherson to entry-level deal". sportsnet.ca. October 3, 2017. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  8. "Roster update: The #Sens have recalled forward Drake Batherson from @BellevilleSens. Mise à jour alignement: Les #Sens ont rappelé l'attaquant Drake Batherson des @BellevilleSens". Twitter. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  9. "Batherson scores in NHL debut for Senators in win against Red Wings". NHL.com. November 15, 2018. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  10. Josh Beneteau (December 18, 2018). "Senators send forward Drake Batherson back to AHL Belleville". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  11. Patrick Williams (January 28, 2019). "Senators prospect Batherson named MVP of AHL All-Star Challenge". NHL.com. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  12. "Former Eagle Batherson sets AHL franchise record". Cape Breton Post. February 12, 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  13. "Bracco, Liljegren added to All-Star roster". American Hockey League. 2020-01-26. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  14. "2018-19 American Hockey League All-Rookie Team Named". OurSports Central. April 10, 2019.
  15. "2019-20 AHL First, Second All-Star Team announced". American Hockey League. May 20, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
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