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Nova Scotia players leading Q league teams in playoffs

Even though Halifax and Cape Breton have been eliminated from the QMJHL playoffs, there’s still lots of reasons for Nova Scotia hockey fans to keep an eye on how the playoffs are rolling out.

Batherson, Welsh among Nova Scotians having great playoffs

Paul Palmeter · CBC News ·
Drake Batherson, seen here representing Canada at the world junior hockey championship, was traded by Cape Breton to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada partway through the season. (Kevin Hoffman/Getty Images)
Even though the Halifax Mooseheads and Cape Breton Screaming Eagles have been eliminated from the QMJHL playoffs, there are still lots of good reasons for Nova Scotia hockey fans to keep a close eye on how the playoffs are rolling out.

Several players from Nova Scotia have elevated their game to lead their teams into the league semifinals.

Here are some of the top Nova Scotia performers:

Drake Batherson (New Minas)

The star of Team Canada's World Junior gold medal-winning team is leading the Q league playoffs in scoring with 20 points in 12 games. Batherson, an Ottawa Senators draft pick, was traded from Cape Breton to the powerful Blainville-Boisbriand Armada halfway through the season. He's a key reason why the Armada hold a 2-1 series lead over Charlottetown.

Matthew Welsh (Halifax)

Matthew Welsh in net during a game against the Halifax Mooseheads on Sept. 23, 2017. (Darrell Theriault)

Charlottetown took out Halifax in a playoff sweep and one of the biggest reasons for their win over the Mooseheads was the play of goaltender Matthew Welsh. The Islanders' regular season MVP has been a rock between the pipes for his PEI team.

Keith Getson (Bridgewater)

Keith Getson is from Bridgewater, N.S., and is a forward with the Charlottetown Islanders. (Submitted by Darrell Theriault)

While Welsh has been keeping the puck out of the net, Keith Getson has been filling the net at the other end of the ice. The Bridgewater native is in his final year of junior and has scored nine goals in the playoffs. He'll need to step up in Game 4 Wednesday night in Charlottetown in order for the Islanders to even up their series against the Armada.

Mitchell Balmas (Sydney)

The Acadie-Bathurst Titan are just one win away from advancing to the Q league final and will be looking for a series sweep tonight against Victoriaville.

Mitchell Balmas is averaging nearly a point a game for the Titan in the playoffs.

Balmas, traded to the Titan from the Gatineau Olympiques this year, had a strong regular season with 42 goals.

Derek Gentile (Sydney)

Like Balmas, Derek Gentile is another Cape Bretoner who is playing well in the playoffs.

Traded to Charlottetown from the Quebec Remparts mid-season, the 18-year-old right-winger has been a good fit up front and has become a key part of the Islanders' attack.

Luke Henman (Dartmouth)

While Batherson continues to get most of the accolades with the Armada, rookie centre Luke Henman has quietly become one of the team's top forwards. He has ten points in the playoffs and the former Dartmouth Whaler had a tremendous rookie season with 47 points.

Look for him to have a breakout season next year.

Evan Fitzpatrick (Newbridge Academy)

Goalkeeper Evan Fitzpatrick was selected in the second round, 59th overall, by the St. Louis Blues. (St. Louis Blues)

While he is from St. John's, Acadie-Bathurst goalie Evan Fitzpatrick has a Nova Scotia connection as he played for the Newbridge Academy Gladiators. A draft pick of the St. Louis Blues, Fitzpatrick joined the Titan after being traded from Sherbrooke and has posted some great numbers with the Titan, winning 28 of 34 games.

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