Ottawa Senators 'under-rated' winger Drake Batherson finding a ...

"The hardest thing in the NHL is trying to play consistently every night. It's been a work in progress for me."

Published Dec 14, 2024  •  Last updated 14 minutes ago  •  4 minute read

Ottawa Senators winger Drake Batherson drives toward the net against Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov during the third period of Friday's NHL game at Raleigh, N.C. Photo by Karl B. DeBlaker /The Associated Press

It wasn’t like Drake Batherson woke up one morning and decided he was going to become a better hockey player.

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It wasn’t like he stepped onto the ice in Day 1 of training camp and could skate better, shoot better, pass better — all with a higher hockey IQ. It was nothing like that for the Ottawa Senators winger.

The talent and hockey smarts have always been there for the son of former Senators prospect Norm Batherson and nephew of former Senators tough-guy Dennis Vial, whose advice a few years back was: “You can’t let your guard down once. You’re going to have people behind you trying to take your job, and they’re going to go through the wall to try to get it.” 

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It just looks like there’s another layer to the 26-year-old Batherson, who has found his stride this season on the Senators’ top line alongside Josh Norris and Brady Tkachuk.

“The hardest thing in the NHL is trying to play consistently every night,” Batherson said. “It’s been a work in progress for me.”

He’s got a lot of admirers in his own dressing room.

“I’ve been saying he’s one of the most under-rated players in the league,” centre Tim Stutzle said. “He does things so well, he’s such a smart player. He keeps getting better every year. He’s a great guy, one of my best friends.”

Asked about Stutzle’s assessment, Batherson said: “I’ll take the compliment, I think he’s a helluva player, too.”

“He competes really hard, he sees the ice so well,” said winger Noah Gregor, who joined the Senators as a free agent during the summer. “I’ve loved watching his game.”

For seven years, Batherson has been seeking National Hockey League consistency; if you’re not scoring goals, find another way to contribute. Sometimes it shows on the scoresheet, sometimes it flies under the radar.

Teammates know, though. So do coaches.

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“When we talk about our team improving, he’s really taken it to heart,” Senators head coach Travis Green said. “He’s becoming somebody who is not only a good player in the league, he’s a player you can win with. He’s a really committed player off the ice. He’s taken in the things we’ve talked about, things that are important to win hockey games. He’s not the only one, but I’ve seen vast improvement in his game.”

It’s not like Batherson burst on the scene out of nowhere, but it’s also not like he hit the NHL scene flying.

The Senators selected him in the fourth round of the 2017 draft, 121st overall. Ahead of him, the Senators selected Shane Bowers in the first round and Alex Formenton in the second.

That same year, the New Jersey Devils chose Nico Hischier first overall and the Colorado Avalanche got Cale Makar fourth overall.

But you could make a case that Batherson is better than most of the remainder of the first-rounders. Remember any of Cody Glass, Lias Andersson, Cal Foote, Juuso Valimaki, Urho Vaakanainen, Kristian Vesalainen, Ryan Poehling, Henri Jokiharju or Klim Kostin?

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Erik Brannstrom was picked 15th overall by Vegas. Would you take Batherson over Brannstrom? Yep, 10 out of 10 times.

Funny thing: Norris was picked in the first round that year, 19th overall by San Jose.

To be fair, Batherson matured late. He was a small player going into junior hockey. Being less than 5-5 was definitely an obstacle. But he grew … and grew … and grew – in height (he’s now listed as 6-3) and in a bunch of hockey intangibles.

Last season, he put up a career-best 66 points (28 goals, 38 assists). With 33 points (13 goals, 20 assists) in 30 games (including a third-period goal Saturday against Pittsburgh), Batherson is on pace to blow past those numbers, too.

“When you’re playing good defensively, it leads to good offensive opportunities,” Batherson said. “It seems to be working that way for me right now.

“You want to score. Sometimes, when you’re thinking about it, it takes longer. I come in, try to work as hard as I can and be a good teammate. The offence comes and goes.”

He still gets frequent text messages from his mom Deeann and his dad. The sense of family is important to Batherson, whose sister Mae is a rookie with the Minnesota Frost of the Professional Women’s Hockey League. 

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It’s now not only about who Batherson is — a solid citizen within the team dynamic — but what he has become: a really good hockey player who Is punching above his paycheque. Batherson will be paid $5.4 million this season, then will have two years remaining ($6.5 million and $6.55 million) on his contract.

Green has an appreciation for Batherson and what he brings.

“Watching from the outside, he was impressive to coach against, a big body, he protects the puck well,” Green said. “You don’t really get to know a player until you watch him from your side. He’s got a lot of passion for the game. He’s not satisfied with just being a good player, he wants to be the best version of himself. That’s ultimately what you want out of all your players.”

Earlier this week, Batherson scored a natural hat trick to lead the Senators to a 5-1 win over the visiting Anaheim Ducks. The first goal that night was the 100th of his NHL career.

“Coming into the season, I didn’t really know how many goals I was at,” Batherson said. “My dad texted me, ‘One more to 100.’ It took me seven games to get it. It’s nice when you hit a milestone.”

There could be a lot of milestones to come.

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