CANADA SPREADS WEALTH FOR SHOT AT WORLD GOLD
Senators prospect Batherson paces national junior squad in romp over Czechs
It sort of figures that the player who is Canada’s leading goalscorer at the world junior hockey championship happens to be a fourth-round prospect who was passed over in his first year of eligibility for the NHL draft.
Like most of this year’s team, Drake Batherson wasn’t a household name before this tournament started.
But with a co-tournamentleading seven goals in six games — including a hat trick in Thursday’s 7-2 semifinal win against the Czech Republic — that’s about to change.
You could say that about anyone on the roster.
A no-name bunch that lacks a star player or even a top-three pick, this might be the most nondescript team we’ve seen in recent memory. Despite all that, this dominant group of teens is once again heading to the championship final — a place where they lost 5-4 in a shootout to the U.S. last year — where Canada will play Sweden for a chance at gold.
“It’s going to be cool,” said Batherson, an Ottawa Senators prospect. “Even today, you could feel the tension in the air. Tomorrow I think it’s going to be even better. I think we’re all hungry to get that gold and we’re going to give it everything we’ve got.”
If you are Sweden, which defeated the U.S. 4-2 in the other semifinal, good luck trying to game plan for this one.
Whether it’s Batherson or Jordan Kyrou (nine points) or defenceman Cale Makar (three goals and eight points), the Canadians have been getting it done by committee. Every line is dangerous. Every player, including Maxime Comtois (three goals), is capable of scoring.
Against the Czech Republic on Thursday, they received goals from five different players. It was the fourth time that they have scored six or more goals.
After six games, they lead the tournament with 36 goals. That’s one more goal than they scored in all of last year’s tournament — and nine more than Sweden has scored this year.
“At the end of the day, we’re going to try to do our best offensively, but we’re going to have to play a game that’s been better than every game so far,” said Makar, who is expecting Canada’s toughest challenge today. “If you deserve to be in the gold-medal game, then it’s going to be a good test no matter what. I can’t wait to play Sweden.”
If there is a concern, it is that aside from a shootout loss to the U.S. in a game played outdoors in a blizzard, Canada has yet to be truly tested. That’s both a product of their play, as well as their competition.
While Sweden has gone undefeated in the tournament, the team did so while playing against such powerhouses as Russia and the United States. Canada’s path to the final has been far easier, having won its last three games by a combined score of 23-4.
With six goals in the last three games, Batherson has been Canada’s hottest forward, something few would have predicted based on his draft status. Two nights after he scored twice in an 8-2 quarter-final win against Switzerland — not including the goal Kyrou scored while borrowing Batherson’s stick — the 19-yearold was even better against the Czech Republic.
Batherson’s first two goals were scored in identical fashion, with the winger redirecting point shots from Makar on the power play. His third goal, which caused the Canadian fans in the half-full arena to toss their hats onto the ice, was far prettier as Batherson drove to the net and lifted a shot into the top portion of the net.
“I think my time has come now and I’m really showing the player I am,” said Batherson, who has 17 goals and 39 points in 24 games this season for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. “I think I was lucky to just get picked last year (in the NHL draft) and I’m thankful to Ottawa for picking me. No matter what round you get drafted in, you just show up to camp and give everything you’ve got. It’s been going well this year.”
Though the final score indicated a blowout, Canada found itself in unfamiliar territory when Filip Zadina, who scored both of the Czech Republic’s goals, made it 1-0 at 5:55 in the first period.
It was the first time Canada had trailed in a game. And if not for a gorgeous save off the butt end of goalie Carter Hart’s stick while the Czechs were on a power play, the Canadians might have had to dig themselves out of a larger hole.
Instead, it was the Czechs that started burying themselves with needless penalties as Canada converted on three straight power plays. That was all it took as a close game became another rout.
“I think we’ve got to be having our best game tomorrow,” said head coach Dominique Ducharme. “We’re playing for gold. We’ve got to be ready.”
I think we’re all hungry to get that gold and we’re going to give it everything we’ve got.