PROFILE
ELI
B AT T
B Y J O H N P L O S Z AY
Photos by James Carey Lauder
BATT ER UP
ELI (BATTER) BATT can play.
After all, he’s a fifth-year
defenseman with the
Raiders Jr. Hockey Club, a
league champion and one
of the veteran standouts
in the Manitoba Major
Junior Hockey League.
Eli would prefer that his
nickname be “Batman,”
but that name was already
taken by his father, Dennis
Batt so it would appear that
until his father relinquishes
the name, Eli will have
to stick with Batter.
It could be worse, one
supposes. For the those who
know them, the Batt family
is North End proud. Both
of Eli’s parents are Phys Ed
teachers in the Winnipeg 1
School Division and the family
has lived near the Inkster
Industrial Park for years. Eli
attended Juniior High at Sisler
and eventually graduated
3 0 | G AME O N | D EC EM BER 2017
from Garden City Collegiate.
He recently completed
his training to become a fire
fighter and has his Levels 1
and 2 and Hazmat certificate.
Over the past four years he’s
worked in Saskatchewan
building decks and has been
employed with Bayview
Construction and the City of
Winnipeg doing concrete work.
Eli started playing hockey at
age three and his dad coached
him right through Peewee
at Northwood Community
Centre. He played in the Stars
and Hawks programs and back
in 2012, he was a late cut of
the Provincial Triple A Midget
Winnipeg Thrashers so he
joined the Interlake Lightning
in order to continue playing
hockey. In 2012-13, he had a
solid season, playing 44 games
for Interlake, and that got
him a shot with the Raiders
as a 17-year-old in 2013.
He’s now in his fifth
full season in the MMJHL
and he counts last year’s
Jack McKenzie Trophy win
as the greatest moment
in his hockey career.
“I also had a great experience
in Bantam playing on a team
with Adam Brooks, Dane
Schioler and Chase Harrison,”
he recalled. “We almost won
it all. After winning the City
and Provincials we lost in
overtime at the Western
Canadians against the Burnaby
Winter Club led by current
NHL rookie scoring sensation
Matt Barzal. It’s a moment
I’ll never forget. The ref called
us for tripping in overtime
and a shot from the point
went bar down on us. It was
devastating. It sucked so much.”
Still, Eli Batt has persevered
and to this day, he credits his
dad and former coach Neil
Chow with instilling in him,