Howie Draper

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.

Howie Draper
Born	(1967-04-03) April 3, 1967 (age 58) 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	1985–1990
Coaching career	1997–present
Medal record Representing Canada Women's ice hockey, assistant coach World Championship 2009 Canada

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