He turned some heads in Buffalo and helped Team Canada secure their first gold medal at the World Juniors since 2015 and now Drake Batherson talks about turning goals into reality in our latest Sens Farm Report.

At the conclusion of Sens Development Camp back in July, Batherson sat down with Senators' management and his agent where he set a goal to make Team Canada's World Junior team after failing to a receive an invite to their summer selection camp.
"I wasn't really expecting to get an invite to their camp in August," said Batherson. "After just being drafted in the 4th round, I still didn't really have my name out there so earning an invite to the Selection Camp was one of the goals I set for myself."
Batherson worked hard over the summer and returned to Ottawa in the fall to take part in the Senators' Rookie Tournament and training camp where he was exposed to the professional side of the game.
"I really learned a lot being around all those NHL prospects and veterans," he said. "I learned how to take care of my body and how to be an everyday pro. I took that back with me back to Junior and implemented all of it into my lifestyle and hockey game."
He was returned to his Junior team in Cape Breton following an impressive showing during the pre-season (especially for an 18-year-old) and he picked up right where he left off leading the QMJHL in scoring early in the season. Batherson's strong play both in Ottawa and with the Screaming Eagles lead to another goal being reached, one that would provide him with some much needed confidence for the coming months.
"I really wanted to sign my NHL entry-level contract as soon as possible so I wasn't worried about it during the season," Batherson recalled. "I'm really happy that I was able to earn my first contract early in the year and that made it so I could just focus on hockey the rest of the way."

With a Quebec Major Junior scoring lead and an NHL contract freshly inked, Batherson eventually received the call he had set out to earn months prior. He was ofiicially booked to join 32 other players in mid-December vying for just 21 spots on Team Canada's World Junior squad.
"Earning that invitation was huge but just another step towards the goal I had set for myself," Batherson said. "I knew that going into camp that I needed perform my best in order to make the team because I wasn't a part of the Summer Camp and I wanted to make a good first impression."
Batherson ultimately would earn a spot on Team Canada's roster and would be joined by a familiar face: Ottawa's 2017 second-round selection Alex Formenton. Batherson recalls meeting Formenton for the first time at Development Camp last summer and the pair of fresh recruits quickly bonded during the week-long event.
"When I first met Alex we were both kind of shy around each other," he recalled "By the time that main camp rolled around, we were going out to supper every night together and got to know each other really well. He's one of my best friends now."
The pair of Senators' prospects would be vital to Team Canada's success in Buffalo with Batherson showcasing his ability to score with the same regularity that he had shown in Cape Breton. His 7 goals would lead all Canadian scorers for the tournament and a share of the tournament-lead with Team USA's Kieffer Bellows.
"I didn't really have any expectations for myself in terms of scoring a certain number goals at the start," shared Batherson. "I was placed on the power play on the second day of training camp so I knew the coach had a lot of trust in me and my offensive ability. I just bought into his system and parked myself in front of the net and that's where I found a lot of my success at the tournament."
Batherson's goal-scoring was on full display in Team Canada's 7-2 semi-final victory over the Czech Republic. The young Sens' prospect found the back of the net three times to help his team advance to the final and the rabid Canadian fans were sure to thank him digitally after the game.

"My social media was blowing up like I'd never seen before," Batherson said with a grin. "It was so cool to see all the support coming in all across Canada."
Team Canada would go on to gut out a 3-1 win against Sweden in the final in front of a majority Canadian crowd that had crossed the border into Buffalo to show their support.
"The gold medal game was unbelievable. It was pretty much all Canadian fans in attendance and it was really loud," recalled Batherson. "That was probably the most nervous and excited I've ever been for a game. It was such a great game and had a bit of a fairytale ending with the game-winning goal coming in the final two minutes. I'll never forget how loud that building was."
Formenton's empty net goal provided Team Canada with a late game two-goal lead and the pair of Ottawa prospects added World Junior gold to their incredible list of shared accomplishments that included by drafted by the Senators and signing NHL contracts within just the past few months.
"Winning a gold medal with Team Canada just made us even closer," Batherson said about his relationship with Formenton. "We bonded so well and now we have a friendship that will last a lifetime. Hopefully we can be teammates for a really long time together in Ottawa."
With his time with Team Canada complete, his life as a QMJHL player was set to resume but in a totally different place. During the tournament, he was dealt to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada whose management had become very familiar with Batherson over the recent weeks.
"I got to know Joel Bouchard, who was the GM for Team Canada, really well for those three weeks in Buffalo," said Batherson about the trade. "Now he's going to be my GM in Blainville and I'm excited for the new opportunity to play for him."
Batherson was also excited at the prospect of joining a contender as Blainville-Boisbriand sit right near the top of the QMJHL standings. The movealigns perfectly with the 18-year-old's next goal that he set for himself: winning a league championship.
"My goal for the rest of the season is to keep progressing as a player and to help my team win a championship," he said. "That's why we all play, to become a champion and we've got a really strong team so hopefully we can bring that QMJHL title back to Blainville."
In his first game with the Armada on Friday night, Batheson registered an assist and was named the game's third star in a 5-1 win over the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Some numbers:

Here's a look at Batherson's stats from this season as of January 13th, 2018:

From the chief amateur scout:

"It's a pretty nice story and very good for him. His whole history is that he's had to work really hard to get to the next level all the time so that just seems to be breed into him that that's what he has to do. He doesn't whine or complain, he just goes about his business, believes in himself and the results speak for themselves at the World Juniors for sure." - Trent Mann on Batherson's success with Team Canada