Batherson leads Canada to gold-medal game with 7-2 rout of Czechs at world juniors
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Drake Batherson has flown under the radar for most of his hockey career. He wasn’t invited to Canada’s Summer Showcase this year, a camp where the junior national team’s roster begins to take shape. Even Canadian head coach Dominique Ducharme, who coaches against Batherson in the QMJHL, wasn’t really aware of him.
But he is now.
Batherson had a hat trick to lead Canada past the Czech Republic 7-2 on Thursday in the semifinal of the world junior hockey championship. The impressive performance put him into a three-way tie with Czech forward Filip Zadina and American forward Kieffer Bellows for the goal-scoring lead at the tournament.
“He came in, had to fight for his spot until the last moment,” said Ducharme, whose Drummondville Voltigeurs face Batherson’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles twice per season. “But we could see from one day to the other he was always getting better, adjusting. He’s a smart kid and works hard and he’s got great skills.