‘It’s unbelievable to be back’
Fresh off gold medal win, Team Canada’s Drake Batherson greeted fans at Valley Wildcats game
Drake Batherson is essentially hockey royalty in the rink he spent countless hours in during his Valley Wildcats days.
Batherson, a former bantam and junior Wildcat, dropped the puck at a Valley Wildcats junior A game in the Apple Dome arena Jan. 7, a mere two days after he helped Team Canada clinch gold medals with a 3-1 win over Sweden in the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship played in Buffalo, N.Y.
The 19-year-old, right-shooting forward wasted little time making his presence known at the world juniors, ultimately recording seven goals, including a hat trick, for Team Canada on his way to becoming a world champion. He went into the elite tournament as a member of the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, and was traded to Blainville-Boisbriand Armada during his time in Buffalo.
Batherson, a fourth-round draft pick for the Ottawa Senators in 2017, was greeted by a standing ovation after being introduced for the ceremonial puck drop in Berwick’s Kings Mutual Century Centre.
Swarms of fans of all ages eagerly lined up for autographs and photo ops, and Batherson kindly obliged.
The mild-mannered athlete, born in the United States to parents Norm and Deeann Batherson, is no stranger to the Annapolis Valley. His family has lived in the New Minas area for about eight years, and they spent two years in Port Williams in his younger years.
Batherson’s father, a former Acadia Axeman, played professional hockey in the AHL, CoHL and IHL. His younger sister, Mae Batherson, recently signed on to lace up her skates for Syracuse University in 2019.
“We’ve definitely had our fair share of battles on the ice in our backyard rinks and she’s a really good defenseman,” said Batherson. Gold-medal winning Team Canada forward Drake Batherson returned to his roots Jan. 7 to drop the puck at a Valley Wildcats game in Berwick. Batherson received a standing ovation, and kindly obliged when fans asked for autographs and photo ops.