Canadian hockey coach (born 1967)
Ice hockey player
Howie Draper (born April 3, 1967) is a Canadian ice hockey coach for the University of Alberta . He is the winningest head coach in U Sports women's ice hockey history and was the inaugural head coach of PWHL New York .
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
Team
League
GP
G
A
Pts
PIM
GP
G
A
Pts
PIM
1985–86
University of Alberta
CW
26
2
5
7
36
—
—
—
—
—
1986–87
University of Alberta
CW
43
2
8
10
55
—
—
—
—
—
1987–88
University of Alberta
CW
12
0
5
5
22
—
—
—
—
—
1988–89
University of Alberta
CW
27
2
12
14
48
—
—
—
—
—
1989–90
University of Alberta
CW
25
3
11
14
28
—
—
—
—
—
CIAU totals
115
9
39
48
179
—
—
—
—
—
Head coaching record
U Sports
National Tournament champions
Conference Champions
Season
Conf. Record
Overall
Postseason
1997–98
None
3–1–0
Fifth, CIAU tournament
1998–99
4–1–1
20–8–3
Second, CIAU tournament
1999–00
15–1–1
26–3–1
CIAU tournament champions
2000–01
13–1–2
20–6–2
Did not qualify
2001–02
16–0–0
33–1–0
CIS tournament champions
2002–03
19–0–1
34–0–1
CIS tournament champions
2003–04
20–0–0
35–0–0
CIS tournament champions
2004–05
20–0–0
28–1–0
Second, CIS tournament
2005–06
16–1–3
27–3–3
CIS tournament champions
2006–07
21–3
33–4–1
CIS tournament champions
2007–08
21–2–1
29–5–1
Fourth, CIS tournament
2008–09
22–2
26–5
Did not qualify
2009–10
23–1–0
33–1
CIS tournament champions
2010–11
17–7
25–14
Fifth, CIS tournament
2011–12
14–10
23–16
Fifth, CIS tournament
2012–13
16–12
25–16
Did not qualify
2013–14
20–8
23–11
Did not qualify
2014–15
20–8
28–14
Eighth, CIS tournament
2015–16
16–12
21–14
Did not qualify
2016–17
21–7
36–9
U Sports tournament champions
2017–18
19–9
27–12
Did not qualify
2018–19
23–5
33–7
Fourth, U Sports tournament
2019–20
20–8
28–10
Tournament cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic .[ 12]
2020–21
Cancelled due financial reasons caused by the COVID-19 pandemic [ 13]
2021–22
13–7
22–11
Did not qualify
2022–23
21–7
28–12
Did not qualify
PWHL
Team
Year
Regular season
Postseason
G
W
OTW
OTL
L
Pts
Finish
W
L
Win%
Result
NYC
2023–24
24
5
4
3
12
26
6th
—
—
—
Missed playoffs
NYC total
24
5
4
3
12
—
—
—
0 playoff appearances
References
^ "Howie Draper" . bearsandpandas.ca . University of Alberta. Retrieved May 13, 2024 .
^ 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 .
^ 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 .
^ "Fox 40 Coach of the year" (PDF) . U Sports . Retrieved May 13, 2024 .
^ "Troy Ryan, Carla Macleod, Kori Cheverie named Canada's PWHL head coaches" . cbc.ca . Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . September 15, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2024 .
^ 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 .
^ Salvian, Hailey (May 11, 2024). "PWHL New York, Howie Draper mutually agree to coaching change" . theathletic.com . The Athletic . Retrieved May 12, 2024 .
^ Kennedy, Ian (May 11, 2024). "Draper's Departure Was Overdue In New York" . www.msn.com . The Hockey News . Retrieved May 18, 2024 .
^ Kennedy, Ian (March 17, 2024). "Analysis: It's Time For Change In PWHL New York" . thehockeynews.com . The Hockey News . Retrieved May 13, 2024 .
^ Kennedy, Ian (May 11, 2024). "Howie Draper Out As PWHL New York Head Coach" . thehockeynews.com . The Hockey News . Retrieved May 12, 2024 .
^ 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 .
^ "U Sports hockey championships cancelled due to COVID–19 outbreak" . Sportsnet . March 12, 2020.
^ "Golden Bears and Pandas 2020-21 Season Update" . University of Alberta . June 17, 2020.
External links
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