Batherson impressing at Sens rookie camp
Former Cape Breton Screaming Eagles star in the mix to make roster
Drake Batherson is making an impression at the Ottawa Senators rookie camp.
The 20-year-old from New Minas single-handedly turned a loss into a win against the Toronto Maple Leafs prospect squad on Saturday. Batherson scored with 15 seconds left in regulation time to force overtime and then set up Alex Formenton for the winner on his next shift.
The former Cape Breton Screaming Eagles star is in the mix with a handful of highprofile forward prospects trying to make the Sens’ opening night roster, including Brady Tkachuk, Logan Brown, Colin White, Filip Chlapik and Formenton.
Dartmouth’s Gregor MacLeod, a forward for the Quebec Remparts, former Acadia Axemen forward Boston Leier and Screaming Eagles goalie Kevin Mandolese are also attending the Senators camp. Mandolese made 17 saves in Saturday’s game.
Truro’s Jared McIsaac and his 2017-18 Halifax Mooseheads teammate Filip Zadina are also having strong starts at the Detroit Red Wings camp. Both players scored in a game against the Minnesota Wild rookies, including a bomb by Zadina that had the rink humming.
“There is a ton of buzz around him,” Red Wings assistant general manager Ryan Martin said to the Traverse City Record Eagle. “There are a lot of factors. He is the highest draft pick we have had in a long time and people who follow the draft did not expect him to be available when we were picking so that adds to the hype.
“With the rebuild, to add a player like that who will hopefully be competing for a job in Detroit over the next four weeks of camp adds to the overall excitement and buzz.”
Zadina, 18, has his mind
set on making the Red Wings straight out of junior. He was the sixth overall pick in this year’s draft and hew went to tryouts confident and hungry.
“I think I don’t have to wait for anything,” Zadina told the Record Eagle. “I know how to play hockey and I’ll get used to the NHL intensity. Hopefully I will be ready and OK in these exhibition games so I can show people what I can do in the NHL.”
“I would love to be on the team and stay for the whole season,” Zadina added. “Hopefully I will. I want to be a goalscorer in the NHL. That is what I know.”
There are four Chicago Blackhawks prospects with Nova
Scotia ties at the same rookie tournament in Traverse City, Michigan. Halifax’s Chase Marchand and Alexis Gravel of the Mooseheads are in the mix in goal and defenceman Jake Ryczek and winger Connor Moynihan are also representing the Mooseheads.
Also at the Traverse City tournament, named after late Halifax-based journalist Matthew Wuest, are: forward Luke Henman (Dartmouth/Carolina Hurricanes), forward Maxime Fortier (Mooseheads/Columbus Blue Jackets), forward Egor Sokolov (Screaming Eagles), goalie Evan Fitzpatrick (Lower Sackville/St. Louis Blues), forward Mathias Laferriere (Screaming Eagles/Blues) and
defenceman Adam McCormick (Screaming Eagles/Dallas Stars).
The other locally connected players attending NHL rookie camps are: defenceman Luke Green (Hammonds Plains/ Winnipeg Jets), defenceman Leon Gawanke (Screaming Eagles/Jets), forward Bo Groulx (Mooseheads/Anaheim Ducks), forward Antoine Morand (Mooseheads/Ducks), centre Otto Somppi (Mooseheads/ Tampa Bay Lightning), defenceman Walter Flower (Mooseheads/Lunenburg/Lightning), defenceman Jocktain Chainey (Mooseheads/New Jersey Devils), forward Samuel Fagemo (Mooseheads/Arizona Coyotes), forward Mitchell
Balmas (Screaming Eagles/ Sydney/Philadelphia Flyers), defenceman Cavan Fitzgerald (Mooseheads/San Jose Sharks), defenceman Tobie PaquetteBisson (Screaming Eagles/ Buffalo Sabres), forward Michael Joly (Screaming Eagles/ Colorado Avalanche), forward Hunter Garlent (Saint Mary’s Huskies/Los Angeles Kings), forward Phelix Martineau (Screaming Eagles/Montreal Canadiens), forward Arnaud Durandeau (Mooseheads/New York Islanders), forward Liam O’Brien (Halifax/Washington Capitals), forward Zack MacEwen (Amherst Ramblers/Vancouver Canucks) and forward Samuel L’Italien (Screaming Eagles/Jets).