Howie Draper

Last updated

Howie Draper
Born (1967-04-03) April 3, 1967 (age 57)
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 165 lb (75 kg; 11 st 11 lb)
Position Defence
Played for University of Alberta
Current U Sports coach University of Alberta
Coached for PWHL New York
Playing career 19851990
Coaching career 1997present
Medal record
Representing Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
Women's ice hockey, assistant coach
World Championship
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2009 Canada

Howie Draper (born April 3, 1967) is a Canadian ice hockey coach for the University of Alberta. He has the most wins of any head coach in U Sports women's ice hockey history and was the inaugural head coach of PWHL New York.

Contents

Career

Prior to his coaching career, Draper played five years of college ice hockey at the University of Alberta, totalling nine goals and 48 points in 115 games. [1]

Draper coached the University of Alberta women's ice hockey team from 1997 to 2023, winning 14 Canada West titles and eight national championships, more than any other coach in U Sports women's ice hockey history. [2] On January 10, 2020, Draper became the first coach to surpass 600 wins since the addition of women's hockey to U Sports with a 3–0 victory over Mount Royal University. [3] He was named coach of the year in 2002, 2004, 2009, and 2019. [4]

On September 15, 2023, the newly established Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) announced the coaches for its inaugural six franchises, including Draper as head coach of New York. [5] New York struggled immensely under Draper, finishing in last place with a 5-4-3-12 record and at one point going over two months without a regulation win. [6] [7] Players on the team had reportedly asked for a change in coaching staff, with some describing the culture of the team as "toxic". [8] On May 11, 2024, Draper and New York mutually agreed that he would not return as head coach in the fall. He remained on the team's staff as a special advisor within the scouting department. [9] [10]

Draper returned as head coach for the University of Alberta in the 2024–25 season. [11]

Career statistics

   Regular season   Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
1985–86 University of Alberta CW 2625736
1986–87University of AlbertaCW43281055
1987–88University of AlbertaCW1205522
1988–89University of AlbertaCW272121448
1989–90University of AlbertaCW253111428
CIAU totals11593948179

Head coaching record

U Sports

National Tournament championsConference Champions
SeasonConf. RecordOverallPostseason
1997–98None3–1–0Fifth, CIAU tournament
1998–994–1–120–8–3Second, CIAU tournament
1999–0015–1–126–3–1CIAU tournament champions
2000–0113–1–220–6–2Did not qualify
2001–0216–0–033–1–0CIS tournament champions
2002–0319–0–134–0–1CIS tournament champions
2003–0420–0–035–0–0CIS tournament champions
2004–0520–0–028–1–0Second, CIS tournament
2005–0616–1–327–3–3CIS tournament champions
2006–0721–333–4–1CIS tournament champions
2007–08 21–2–129–5–1Fourth, CIS tournament
2008–0922–226–5Did not qualify
2009–10 23–1–033–1CIS tournament champions
2010–1117–725–14Fifth, CIS tournament
2011–1214–1023–16Fifth, CIS tournament
2012–1316–1225–16Did not qualify
2013–1420–823–11Did not qualify
2014–1520–828–14Eighth, CIS tournament
2015–1616–1221–14Did not qualify
2016–1721–736–9U Sports tournament champions
2017–1819–927–12Did not qualify
2018–1923–533–7Fourth, U Sports tournament
2019–2020–828–10 Tournament cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic. [12]
2020–21Cancelled due financial reasons caused by the COVID-19 pandemic [13]
2021–2213–722–11Did not qualify
2022–2321–728–12Did not qualify

PWHL

TeamYearRegular seasonPostseason
GWOTWOTLLPtsFinishWLWin%Result
NYC 2023–24 2454312266thMissed playoffs
NYC total2454312  0 playoff appearances

References

  1. "Howie Draper". bearsandpandas.ca. University of Alberta. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  2. Archer, Meaghan (September 16, 2023). "Panda's hockey coach to take head coaching position in New York - Edmonton | Globalnews.ca". globalnews.ca. Global News . Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  3. Cummings, Madeleine (January 13, 2020). "U of A women's hockey coach first to reach 600th win". cbc.ca. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  4. "Fox 40 Coach of the year" (PDF). U Sports . Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  5. "Troy Ryan, Carla Macleod, Kori Cheverie named Canada's PWHL head coaches". cbc.ca. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. September 15, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  6. Gorman, Denis P. (May 11, 2024). "Howie Draper out as PWHL New York's coach after one season". newsday.com. Newsday . Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  7. Salvian, Hailey (May 11, 2024). "PWHL New York, Howie Draper mutually agree to coaching change". theathletic.com. The Athletic . Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  8. Kennedy, Ian (May 11, 2024). "Draper's Departure Was Overdue In New York". www.msn.com. The Hockey News . Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  9. Kennedy, Ian (March 17, 2024). "Analysis: It's Time For Change In PWHL New York". thehockeynews.com. The Hockey News . Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  10. Kennedy, Ian (May 11, 2024). "Howie Draper Out As PWHL New York Head Coach". thehockeynews.com. The Hockey News . Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  11. Wawrow, John (May 11, 2024). "PWHL New York changing coaches with mutual agreement with Draper to step down and return to Alberta". AP News. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  12. "U Sports hockey championships cancelled due to COVID–19 outbreak". Sportsnet. March 12, 2020.
  13. "Golden Bears and Pandas 2020-21 Season Update". University of Alberta. June 17, 2020.