Breakthrough

By Craig Eagles

Every young player wants an opportunity to show what they can do. Drake Batherson has undoubtedly earned all of his on the road less traveled.

He made it to the National Hockey League, which is outstanding given the adversity he faced, but now the skilled winger is confronted with the biggest test yet, becoming an NHL regular and a difference maker for the rebuilding Ottawa Senators.

“Drake has had the skill level to play in the NHL prior to this year but the rest of his game needed a little time to develop,” said Senators Chief Amateur Scout Trent Mann. “Drake is very competitive; he took being sent to the AHL last year as a challenge and I believe that he arrived in camp this year better prepared than he ever has. He has spent his whole hockey career proving people wrong so not really surprising that he arrived this year ready to be a factor for the Ottawa Senators.”

“His challenge now will be to continue to have impact game in and game out. I feel that he will once again rise to the challenge,” Mann went on to say.

Few know Batherson better than long-time power skating instructor Jill Plandowski.

“Drake’s skating has improved by leaps and bounds since the start of his QMJHL career,” said Plandowski. “He knew that his skating was the one area of his game that he needed to improve in order to have success at the NHL level, and has been more than willing to put in the work,”

Everyone around the hockey and scouting world talks about pure skaters, they are few and far between.

“Drake’s overall balance, posture and stride mechanics have significantly improved,” Plandowski said.

Every once and awhile Plandowski pulls up videos from several of her students dating back to their Midget days. “We all have a good laugh at that,” she said.

It’s all about progression and the trusting the process when it comes to improving a player’s skating stride. With that aspect of the game taking on entire meaning in today’s era of game, more and more current NHLer’s and Major Junior players alike are dedicating significant time in the off season to improve every facet of their stride and mechanics.

“Drake has been more focused than ever this off-season and used the time during the quarantine to his advantage,” stressed Plandowski. “He started skating with me in June twice or three times per week when the rinks opened back up here in Halifax. He didn’t miss a session until the end of October when it was time to switch gears and focus on getting ready for game play.”

Batherson has looked extremely comfortable logging big minutes in every situation this season for the Sens in a Top 6 role. Plandowski, a former Phys. Ed teacher by trade and mother of three continues to impact the lives of many young aspiring Maritimers wanting to make a career out of playing the game they love.

“It’s so incredibly rewarding to watch a player that you’ve worked with since Bantam achieving their lifelong dream of playing in the NHL,” Plandowski exclaimed. “I’ve known Drake since he was a little boy and to see him living his dream is awesome. I think one of the most important indicators of success in anything in life is the love of practice. Drake’s love of practice, his work ethic and his love of the game are all things that fuel his success.”

Batherson’s hard work and dedication to his craft has certainly paid dividends. In 19 games playing on the Sens top trio Batherson has recorded three goals, five assists and has been all over the ice and has looked a lot quicker.

“Not every player is going to be as genetically and mechanically blessed to skate like a MacKinnon, Barzal or McDavid, but if they can all improve and work towards maximizing their potential as a skater,” explained Plandowski. “Working on posture, having a deep knee bend, long strides and quick return are all areas that we spent a significant amount of time working on during the off season.”

Skill development is obviously at the top of every players priority list no matter what level, but it’s evident that this era of player realizes the true value of working on their skating.

“It’s not always on the top of the “fun chart’, but they all know it’s key to improving and it’s the number one thing guys want to work on,” Plandowski said with a smile. “There’s so much to work on. Starts, stops, transitions, turns and crossovers are all things that I try to incorporate into their sessions. Pro players always want to know how they are going to use it in a game, so I always have my iPad with hundreds of clips on hand to show them game clips,”

“We will work on edge control drills if I think they will help with their skating, but I stay away from tricks that don’t translate to the game,” she added.

With several of her students on the cusp of career breakthroughs and her son Oscar entering his NHL draft year and her youngest son Jack entering his QMJHL draft eligible season, has Plandowski ever thought about reaching the NHL?

“I think the secret to happiness is to find your true passion, and then figure out how you can make a living from doing it,” she said.

“Coaching power skating is my true passion,” she continued. “I can honestly say that I get the same joy from coaching a U7 group as I do from coaching a pro group. I absolutely love being on the ice and will continue to help players with their skating as long as my body holds up.”

From a scout, to a skating instructor, to a player countless Maritimers continue to make significant breakthroughs in the game at hockey’s highest level.