Player Discussion Drake Batherson (RW)

[LeProspector]

Personally I’d leave him there for at least 20-25 games this can only be good for him.

More importantly his confidence

 

[Matsens15]

More importantly his confidence

Exactly for every prospect the confidence is a big part! Look at Logan Brown and Nick Paul

 

[Do Make Say Think]

More importantly his confidence

We shall see how he does on the road. He might get crushed so the coach has to pick his spots

 

[DJB]

After a disappointing initial stint up with Ottawa, Batherson looks to be picking up where he left off last season with Belleville. 10pts in 7gp. I can’t see him being in Belleville much longer.

True. But points aren't everything .

To be successful in the NHL it takes a lot more than simply putting up points in the A.

Let's hope he looks more hungry on the ice on his next call up

 

[Langdon Alger]

True. But points aren't everything .

To be successful in the NHL it takes a lot more than simply putting up points in the A.

Let's hope he looks more hungry on the ice on his next call up

maybe it would be good for him to stay in Belleville a little longer.

 

[LeProspector]

True. But points aren't everything .

To be successful in the NHL it takes a lot more than simply putting up points in the A.

Let's hope he looks more hungry on the ice on his next call up

Most players that produce the way he has at his age in the AHL develop into quality NHL players. Although I agree points aren’t everything, it’s the best indicator on whether or not a player can play at the next level.

 

[Slippy]

Most players that produce the way he has at his age in the AHL develop into quality NHL players. Although I agree points aren’t everything, it’s the best indicator on whether or not a player can play at the next level.

No, it is actually the easiest thing to look at. The AHL has always had guys that can score at that level but can not make it translate to the NHL level. If points is all you can point to, and then when you get the call up to the NHL and can't produce at a similar level and don't provide any other value in another area, then it will be a short stint and they go back to score in the AHL.

 

[LeProspector]

No, it is actually the easiest thing to look at. The AHL has always had guys that can score at that level but can not make it translate to the NHL level. If points is all you can point to, and then when you get the call up to the NHL and can't produce at a similar level and don't provide any other value in another area, then it will be a short stint and they go back to score in the AHL.

Not at his age. Most players that score at a point per game pace in the AHL have been in the league for over 4 years. It not often a 20 year old kid comes in and scores at a point per game pace then fails to do anything at the next level.
I don’t know why y’all don’t think that Batherson won’t make it at the next level... everything he has done since he was drafted has indicated otherwise.

 

[OD99]

I don’t know why y’all don’t think that Batherson won’t make it at the next level...

The elusive triple negative! So you believe (we all) believe he WILL make it at the next level.

 

[LeProspector]

The elusive triple negative! So you believe (we all) believe he WILL make it at the next level.

Ima keep it real with you. I’m confused by this.

 

[OD99]

Just bored...read your post again though...it is the opposite of your intended meaning.

I should have left it alone because the context shows what you really meant...Batherson will be a legit NHL player.

 

[Ice-Tray]

The elusive triple negative! So you believe (we all) believe he WILL make it at the next level.

Im a grammar nerd, this made me laugh out loud! In all fairness it’s early out here, but thanks for that... hahaha

As for Bath, if it’s true that he came to camp a bit plump from a rookie off season, then it stands to reason that he’ll have to get his fitness back. Obviously with the help of the team trainers and nutritionist, in the AHL.

Nothing should be handed to the kids at this point. He’s going to have to work his ass off to get back into top shape, and to make the lifestyle changes needed to make the NHL. It’s not a punishment, as he will undoubtably be guided by the big team, but he’s going to have to put in the work first.

He wasn’t able to make an impact out of the gate, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that was partly a teaching tool to show him how much more he needs to put in to stay in the NHL. A bit of the carrot to get him dialed in.

Im sure he’s hungry now, and not in his summer Timmies way I think he’s shown that he can get it done, but between getting used to another growth spurt over the summer, and getting dialed into a pro playing weight, it looks like it will take him a bit of time.

If he can make the impact that Brown and Paul have already made, we’ll have 3 guys who showed top six potential in the AHL starting to live up to it. Still can’t believe how good Paul has been the last couple of games. We’ve all been hopeful that he could carve out a 4th line role, and he’s busy playing like a top six winger at the moment.

Norris is looking real good too, we could be scary deep soon.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Im a grammar nerd, this made me laugh out loud! In all fairness it’s early out here, but thanks for that... hahaha

As for Bath, if it’s true that he cane to camp a bit plump from a rookie off season, then it stands to reason that he’ll have to get his fitness back. Obviously with the help of the team trainers and nutritionist, in the AHL.

Nothing should be handed to the kids at this point, he’s going to have to work his ass off to get back into top shape, and to make the lifestyle changes needed to make the NHL. It’s not a punishment as he will undoubtably next guided by the big team, but he’s going to have to put in the work first.

He wasn’t able to make an impact out of the gate, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that was partly a teaching tool to show him how much more he needs to put in to stay in the NHL. A bit of the carrot to get him dialed in.

Im sure he’s hungry now, and not in his summer Timmies way I think he’s shown that he can get it done, but between getting used to another growth spurt over the summer, and getting dialed into a pro playing weight looks to take a bit of time.

If he can make the impact that Brown and Paul have already made, we’ll have 3 guys who showed top six potential in ten AHL starting to live up to it.

Norris is looking real good too, we could be scary deep soon.

We are deep in that tweener group for sure. Which is not a bad thing. We need to add a couple 1st line players . We have potential at D and in goal but its quite early on that front. Teams finishing at the bottom of the league should improve their prospect pool and we are , all be it a little interrupted

 

[Ice-Tray]

We are deep in that tweener group for sure. Which is not a bad thing. We need to add a couple 1st line players . We have potential at D and in goal but its quite early on that front. Teams finishing at the bottom of the league should improve their prospect pool and we are , all be it a little interrupted

I totally agree. The nice thing about having so many tweeners is that one or two might burst out into full blown top six guys.

It looks like we have the character and culture aspects of the rebuild squared away, and a solid outlook for at least the bottom 9 players up front.

Two solid first round selections this year could really vault us forward here. If we can add two legit top six forwards this upcoming draft we’ll be looking pretty good. We’d likely have to trade some tweeners with potential in a quality move just to make space.

This upcoming draft is going to add so many kids to the pool, how the heck are we supposed to keep track!?

 

[Alex1234]

When is he coming back up with the big club?

 

[BonkTastic]

When is he coming back up with the big club?

I'm totally fine if he spends the entire year in Belleville, IMO.

We don't need him in Ottawa yet, and his game is probably best served by being a leader and 1st line option in the AHL for a year, so he can work on his skating in a relatively risk-free environment.

He'll be in the NHL eventually. Nothing wrong with spending a second year finding your A-game as a pro and building confidence in the AHL.

 

[Larionov]

When is he coming back up with the big club?

Veronneau just got the call ahead of him, so that says a lot. Mann has been very clear - Batherson needs to be more consistent if he wants to be an NHL regular. He tends to be streaky and score his points in bunches, and the problem with a player like Batherson is that if he isn't producing offense for you, he isn't doing much else. It's not like he is overly physical or an elite skater/checker like Formenton. (With his great skating, Formenton is going to carve out a 15 year NHL career for himself just as a penalty killer and bottom six energy guy.)

I love The Drake as a prospect, but it's up to him if he wants to get out of Belleville. He knows exactly what he needs to do. Further, he'd better get off the stick and do it, because an avalanche of other prospects are going to be coming into the organization in the next two years via the draft...

 

[Answer]

Batherson has been very underwhelming this season.

I am the the point where I have given up hope that he's going to be a legit top 6 forward in the NHL.

At this point I am seeing a Dzingle 2.0, as a best case scenario. Hope I am wrong, though


Now, I just hope Davidsson and to a lesser degree, Abramov can end up being a surprise and be our next Stone/Hoffman

 

[BankStreetParade]

Batherson has been very underwhelming this season.

I am the the point where I have given up hope that he's going to be a legit top 6 forward in the NHL.

At this point I am seeing a Dzingle 2.0, as a best case scenario. Hope I am wrong, though


Now, I just hope Davidsson and to a lesser degree, Abramov can end up being a surprise and be our next Stone/Hoffman

1.13 ppg and top 10 in scoring in the AHL is "very underwhelming"? Perhaps your expectations aren't reasonable?

 

[Alf Silfversson]

Batherson has been very underwhelming this season.

I am the the point where I have given up hope that he's going to be a legit top 6 forward in the NHL.

At this point I am seeing a Dzingle 2.0, as a best case scenario. Hope I am wrong, though


Now, I just hope Davidsson and to a lesser degree, Abramov can end up being a surprise and be our next Stone/Hoffman

I don't think this will age well. Batherson is going to be one hell of a good NHLer.

I think there is a good chance he scores 70 points one year.

 

[Micklebot]

Batherson has been very underwhelming this season.

I am the the point where I have given up hope that he's going to be a legit top 6 forward in the NHL.

At this point I am seeing a Dzingle 2.0, as a best case scenario. Hope I am wrong, though


Now, I just hope Davidsson and to a lesser degree, Abramov can end up being a surprise and be our next Stone/Hoffman

A lot to unpack here...

So Batherson, who is on a slightly better pace than last year but without Brown or Paul who were two of the teams top scorers last year and one of which is considered a blue chip prospect, is disappointing and will likely be at best a Dzingel 2.0, a player who never came close to Batherson's production in the AHL despite playing there till he was 23, two years older than Batherson now.

But, on the flip side, you're holding out hope that Davidsson or Abramov, both of who are being significantly outproduced by Batherson despite being drafted a full season earlier, will develop into our next Stone and Hoffman?

 

[dumbdick]

Veronneau just got the call ahead of him, so that says a lot. Mann has been very clear - Batherson needs to be more consistent if he wants to be an NHL regular. He tends to be streaky and score his points in bunches, and the problem with a player like Batherson is that if he isn't producing offense for you, he isn't doing much else. It's not like he is overly physical or an elite skater/checker like Formenton. (With his great skating, Formenton is going to carve out a 15 year NHL career for himself just as a penalty killer and bottom six energy guy.)

I love The Drake as a prospect, but it's up to him if he wants to get out of Belleville. He knows exactly what he needs to do. Further, he'd better get off the stick and do it, because an avalanche of other prospects are going to be coming into the organization in the next two years via the draft...

Disagree pretty heavily on this part. Guy controls the play and makes guys around him better.

 

[Cosmix]

Im a grammar nerd, this made me laugh out loud! In all fairness it’s early out here, but thanks for that... hahaha

As for Bath, if it’s true that he came to camp a bit plump from a rookie off season, then it stands to reason that he’ll have to get his fitness back. Obviously with the help of the team trainers and nutritionist, in the AHL.

Nothing should be handed to the kids at this point. He’s going to have to work his ass off to get back into top shape, and to make the lifestyle changes needed to make the NHL. It’s not a punishment, as he will undoubtably be guided by the big team, but he’s going to have to put in the work first.

He wasn’t able to make an impact out of the gate, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that was partly a teaching tool to show him how much more he needs to put in to stay in the NHL. A bit of the carrot to get him dialed in.

Im sure he’s hungry now, and not in his summer Timmies way I think he’s shown that he can get it done, but between getting used to another growth spurt over the summer, and getting dialed into a pro playing weight, it looks like it will take him a bit of time.

If he can make the impact that Brown and Paul have already made, we’ll have 3 guys who showed top six potential in the AHL starting to live up to it. Still can’t believe how good Paul has been the last couple of games. We’ve all been hopeful that he could carve out a 4th line role, and he’s busy playing like a top six winger at the moment.

Norris is looking real good too, we could be scary deep soon.

As a self-proclaimed grammar nerd, I can see a few grammar-related issues you need to address in your text above.

 

[Cosmix]

1.13 ppg and top 10 in scoring in the AHL is "very underwhelming"? Perhaps your expectations aren't reasonable?

He’s full of hope though.

 

[aragorn]

I could not disagree more with people who think Batherson is having an off yr. Of course, he needs to be more consistent at all aspects of the game just as every young hockey player it seems needs to be more consistent so that it gives their team a chance to win every night. I also don't think it means anything that Veronneau has been brought up before Batherson, this org wants to get a look at as many of their prospects as possible to see where they are in their development. Veronneau is a player I like who is defensively responsible while at the same time can chip in offensively & good at a lot of things, but I doubt he is as good as Batherson can be.

IMO Batherson has everything you want in a top six forward, he has good size, he's quick & a good skater, he plays with an edge at times, has good vision, is a decent playmaker & he can score consistently as he has shown in the last two seasons in Belleville. Everything becomes a little more difficult as players move up into the NHL where everybody is so much better, tougher, quicker & decisions need to be made quicker & that is a learning curve for most young players. Let's also not forget that Ottawa has a number of UFAs this season that could be moved by the trade deadline & they should start looking at who they might want to replace those guys that could get traded. I assume that they might also give some NHL games to some of their career AHLers for helping out in Belleville.

UFAs - Pageau, Ennis, Namestikov, Boedker, Sabourin, Hainsey, Boro, DeMello, Goloubef, Anderson, Szwarz

Potential Replacements - Formenton, Norris, Batherson, Abramov, Lajoie, Jaros, Veronneau, Balcers, Davidsson