Drake Berehowsky (born January 3, 1972) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the la ...

. He is best known for his time in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL), where he played for the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at Rogers Arena. Bruce B ...

and

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...

. He is the former head coach of the

Orlando Solar Bears The Orlando Solar Bears are a professional ice hockey team that plays their home games at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. They play in the South Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference and are affiliated with the Tampa Bay Lightning of t ...

of the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The E ...

. He had two stints as the team's head coach, first coaching the Solar Bears during the 2012–13 season.Following the 2021-22 season, the Solar Bears and Berehowsky mutually agreed to part ways.

Playing career

As a youth, Berehowsky played in the 1985

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament (french: Tournoi international de hockey pee-wee de Québec) is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, ...

with the Toronto Marlboros

minor ice hockey Minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from cla ...

team. Berehowsky began his junior hockey career with the

Kingston Raiders The Kingston Raiders was a short-lived name used by a Kingston, Ontario, Canada-based major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League for the 1988–89 season only. The team played out of the Kingston Memorial Centre. Team history When ...

of the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overag ...

(OHL) in 1988 and had a strong rookie season, earning 46 points in 63 games. The Raiders were renamed to the

Kingston Frontenacs The Kingston Frontenacs are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, based in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The Frontenacs play home games at Leon's Centre, which opened in 2008. Team history predates the OHA, back to 1945, to a te ...

in 1989–90. Berehowsky would only appear in nine games as he suffered a serious knee injury. He earned 14 points in those nine games and the

would draft Berehowsky with their first round draft pick in the

1990 NHL Entry Draft The 1990 NHL Entry Draft was the 28th NHL Entry Draft. It was hosted by the Vancouver Canucks at BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, on June 16, 1990. It is remembered as one of the deeper drafts in NHL history, with fourteen of the twenty- ...

. Berehowsky split the 1990–91 season between the Frontenacs and the

North Bay Centennials The North Bay Centennials were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, who played from 1982–2002. The team was based in North Bay, Ontario. History The North Bay Centennials or "Cents" as they were popularly known, were named afte ...

before earning a late season call-up to the Leafs. He returned to North Bay for the 1991–92 season, recording 82 points in 62 games, helping the Centennials to the OHL finals, tallying 31 points in 21 post-season games. Berehowsky would earn another late season call-up to Toronto, appearing in a single game, before being sent to the

St. John's Maple Leafs The St. John's Maple Leafs were a minor ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, at Memorial Stadium from 1991 to 2001, and at Mile One Stadium from 2001 to 2005. The team was a ...

for the 1992

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

(AHL) playoffs, where he recorded five assists in six games. Berehowsky split the 1992–93 and 1993–94 seasons between St. John's and Toronto before earning a full-time roster spot in Toronto in the 1994–95 season. Berehowsky appeared in 25 games with the Maple Leafs in 1994–95. On April 7, 1995, the team traded him to the

for

Grant Jennings Grant Curtis Jennings (born May 5, 1965) is a former National Hockey League defenceman. Career Jennings played Midget AAA for the Notre Dame Hounds of Wilcox, Saskatchewan and then moved onto play Junior A hockey in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey ...

. Berehowsky would finish the season as the odd man out on the Penguins defense, as he appeared in only four regular season games and one playoff game with the team. In 1995–96, Pittsburgh sent Berehowsky to the

Cleveland Lumberjacks The Cleveland Lumberjacks were an International Hockey League (IHL) team based in Cleveland, Ohio. Facts :Owner: Larry Gordon :Logo design: "Buzz"- A beaver wearing overalls holding a homemade hockey stick framed by a circular saw blade :Divis ...

, their AHL affiliate, for most of the season and he would only appear in one game with the Penguins. After the season, Berehowsky became a free agent. He split the 1996–97 season between the

Carolina Monarchs The Carolina Monarchs were a short-lived ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Greensboro, North Carolina, at the Greensboro Coliseum. In the spring of 1997, the Hartford Whalers of the NHL announced that they would play i ...

of the AHL and the

San Antonio Dragons The San Antonio Dragons were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the International Hockey League (IHL) for two seasons in 1996–97 and 1997–98. The Dragons were based in San Antonio, Texas, and played at the Freeman Coliseum and occ ...

of the International Hockey League until signing an NHL contract with the

on September 30, 1997. Berehowsky spent most of the season with the Oilers, appearing in 67 regular season and 12 post-season games with the club. However, he did see some time with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL, playing in eight games. On October 1, 1998, the Oilers traded Berehowsky,

Éric Fichaud Éric Joseph Fichaud (born November 4, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played 95 games in the National Hockey League with four teams between 1996 and 2000. He was selected in the first round of the 1994 NHL Entry ...

and

Greg de Vries Gregory A. de Vries (born January 4, 1973) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played over 800 games with six teams in the National Hockey League (NHL). De Vries won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2000–01 se ...

to the

for

Mikhail Shtalenkov Mikhail Alekseyevich Shtalenkov (russian: Михаил Алексеевич Шталенков; born October 20, 1965) is a Russian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played extensively in his native USSR and Russia for HC Dynamo Mosco ...

and Jim Dowd. Berehowsky played with the Predators until 2001, having a career season in 1999–2000 when he scored 12 goals and 32 points, leading the Nashville defense in goals. On March 9, 2001, the Predators dealt Berehowsky to the

. Berehowsky's time with the Canucks was short, as he would once again be traded on December 28, 2001, with

Denis Pederson Denis Erio Pederson (born September 10, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played a total of 435 games in the National Hockey League and then went on to great success playing for Eisbären Berlin in Germany. Playing ca ...

to the

for Todd Warriner,

Trevor Letowski Trevor Letowski (born April 5, 1977) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former professional player. Letowski played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Phoenix Coyotes, Vancouver Canucks, Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Carolina Hurrican ...

and

Tyler Bouck Tyler John Bouck (born January 13, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Dallas Stars, Phoenix Coyotes and the Vancouver Canucks. He spent the last five seasons of his ...

. Berehowsky saw regular time on the Coyotes blueline, helping them to the post-season. An injury suffered in training camp sidelined Berehowsky for most of the 2002–03 season, as he only appeared in seven games with Phoenix, and two with the

Springfield Falcons The Springfield Falcons were a former ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) and played in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the MassMutual Center. In 2016, the Falcons' franchise was purchased by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Ar ...

of the AHL before becoming a free agent at the end of the season. On August 29, 2003, he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he had played from 1994 to 1996. Berehowsky played in 47 more games with the Penguins. On February 11, 2004, the Penguins traded Berehowsky to his original NHL team, the Toronto Maple Leafs for

Ric Jackman Richard Jackman (born June 28, 1978) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). Jackman was born in Toronto, Ontario. Playing career Junior Jackman played junior hockey for the Sault ...

, where he finished out the season. With the NHL in a

lockout Lockout may refer to: * Lockout (industry), a type of work stoppage **Dublin Lockout, a major industrial dispute between approximately 20,000 workers and 300 employers 1913 - 1914 * Lockout (sports), lockout in sports leagues **MLB lockout, lock ...

for the 2004–05 season, Berehowsky signed with Skellefteå AIK in Sweden for the season, before signing a contract with Eisbären Berlin in Germany for the 2005–06 season. After the season with Berlin, Berehowsky returned to North America, where he signed with the

San Antonio Rampage The San Antonio Rampage were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League based in San Antonio, Texas. The Rampage was primarily owned by Spurs Sports & Entertainment throughout the team's existence. In 2020, the franchise was sold ...

of the AHL, before retiring from hockey in the summer of 2006.

Coaching career

After his NHL career, Berehowsky served as an assistant coach with the

Peoria Rivermen Peoria Rivermen is the name of four minor league hockey clubs: *Peoria Rivermen (IHL), named as such 1984–1996, formerly the Peoria Prancers 1982–1984 *Peoria Rivermen (ECHL), 1996–2005 *Peoria Rivermen (AHL), 2005–2013 *Peoria Rivermen (SP ...

of the AHL for three seasons. On June 19, 2012, Berehowsky was named head coach of the

for their inaugural season in the

. In the 2012–13 season, Berehowsky lead the expansion team to a record of 28 wins, 37 losses, 3 overtime losses, and 4 shootout losses totaling 63 points; second to last place in the 14-team Eastern Conference, with only three teams finishing with fewer points in the then 23-team league. Global Lethbridge's Paul Kingsmith announced June 4, 2013, Berehowsky was to be the next head coach for the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

(WHL). During his first season with the club, the Berehowsky-led Hurricanes finished with 16 fewer wins and 37 fewer points than the previous season. The team missed the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season and set the franchise record for fewest wins (12) and fewest points (29) in the 26 season Lethbridge Hurricanes' history as well as the 47 year franchise history. On December 9, 2014, Berehowsky was fired from his coaching duties with the struggling Hurricanes. He then joined the

Sudbury Wolves The Sudbury Wolves are an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) ice hockey team based in Greater Sudbury, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Sudbury has had various hockey teams competing at the Junior ice hockey, junior and senior ice hockey levels of the game k ...

of the

as an associate coach in 2015. On November 14, 2016, Berehowsky left the Wolves to return to Orlando for a second stint as head coach of the Solar Bears.

Head Coach Record

Career statistics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Berehowsky, Drake 1972 births Barrie Colts players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Germany Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Sweden Canadian ice hockey coaches Canadian ice hockey defencemen Carolina Monarchs players Cleveland Lumberjacks players ECHL coaches Edmonton Oilers players Eisbären Berlin players Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) players Ice hockey people from Toronto Kingston Frontenacs players Kingston Raiders players Lethbridge Hurricanes coaches Living people Nashville Predators players National Hockey League first-round draft picks North Bay Centennials players Phoenix Coyotes players Pittsburgh Penguins players St. John's Maple Leafs players San Antonio Dragons players San Antonio Rampage players Skellefteå AIK players Springfield Falcons players Toronto Maple Leafs draft picks Toronto Maple Leafs players Vancouver Canucks players