Donald Scott Howson (born April 9, 1960) is a Canadian

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 ...

executive and former player. He was formerly the general manager of the

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...

of 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). He played 18 games in the NHL with the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...

between the 1984–85 and 1985–86 seasons. The rest of his playing career, which lasted from 1981 to 1986, was spent in the minor leagues. He later turned to coaching and managing, working for several years in the

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 ...

before moving to the NHL. In July 2020, he took over as president and chief executive officer of the

Playing career

As a youth, Howson played in the 1973

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 a

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 from

Thornhill, Ontario Thornhill is a suburban district in the Regional Municipality of York in Ontario, Canada, split between the City of Vaughan (its western portion) and the City of Markham (its eastern portion), with Yonge Street forming the municipal boundary. Tho ...

. Howson played two seasons with the

Kingston Canadians The Kingston Canadians were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League from 1973 to 1988. The team played home games at the Kingston Memorial Centre in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. History The Kingston Canadians arrival in the Ontario ...

of the

Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is the governing body for the majority of junior and senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey As ...

, and one more season with the club after they moved to 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 ...

. In that season, Howson amassed 57 goals, and 140 points in 66 games. That was second in team scoring to

Bernie Nicholls Bernard Irvine Nicholls (born June 24, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre, who played over 1000 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). His junior career was spent with the Kingston Canadians, where he established himse ...

, and sixth in league scoring. Howson would then go on to play one season (1981–82) with the

Toledo Goaldiggers The Toledo Goaldiggers were a minor professional ice hockey club based in Toledo, Ohio, from 1974 to 1986. They played in the International Hockey League (IHL) and held their home games at the Toledo Sports Arena on the east side of Toledo. Pr ...

of the IHL. He won the Garry F. Longman Memorial Trophy as IHL rookie of the year after scoring 55 goals and 120 points in only 74 games. Howson played 146 games over three seasons with the Indianapolis Checkers of the

Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...

. It was after his time with the Checkers that Howson split two seasons between the

, and their

affiliate, the

Springfield Indians The Springfield Indians were a minor professional ice hockey franchise, originally based in West Springfield, Massachusetts and later Springfield, Massachusetts. The Indians were founding members of the American Hockey League. They were in existen ...

. He played eight games in the 1984–85 season, and another 10 in the 1985–86 season. In the total 18 games, he had 5 goals, 3 assists, and 8 points.

Post-playing career

Howson holds a bachelor's degree from

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...

and is a graduate of York's

Osgoode Hall Law School Osgoode Hall Law School, commonly shortened to Osgoode, is the law school of York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The law school is home to the Law Commission of Ontario, the Journal of Law and Social Policy, and the ''Osgoode Hall La ...

. After retiring from playing, he practiced law before joining the

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 ...

organization in 1994 as general manager of their AHL affiliates, the

Cape Breton Oilers The Cape Breton Oilers were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. The team was the top minor league affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Oilers' organization relocated the team from Hali ...

and later the

Hamilton Bulldogs The Hamilton Bulldogs are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League that began to play in the 2015–16 OHL season, 2015–16 season. Based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, the Bulldogs play their home games at FirstOntario Cent ...

. When

Glen Sather Glen Cameron “Slats” Sather (born September 2, 1943) is a Canadian ice hockey player, coach and executive. He is the current senior advisor and alternate governor of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was the Rangers ...

left the Oilers for the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

and the Oilers hired Kevin Lowe, Lowe immediately promoted Howson to the Oilers where he served as assistant general manager from 2002 to 2007. Howson's AHL clubs reached the Calder Cup Finals in 1997 and 2003, and he served on the AHL's board of governors. On June 15, 2007, Howson was named general manager of the

, and he guided the franchise to its first Stanley Cup Playoff appearance in 2009. He was relieved of his duties on February 12, 2013. On March 12, 2013, Howson was hired by the Edmonton Oilers as a professional scout. On April 15, 2013, the Oilers named him the senior vice president of hockey operations.Oilers Fire GM Tambellini
/ref> When Peter Chiarelli was hired as the Oilers' general manager in 2015, Howson's role was changed to vice president of player personnel. On February 14, 2020, Howson was elected president and chief executive officer of the American Hockey League, effective July 1, 2020.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Howson, Scott 1960 births Living people Canadian ice hockey centres Columbus Blue Jackets executives Edmonton Oilers executives Edmonton Oilers scouts Indianapolis Checkers (CHL) players Kingston Canadians players National Hockey League general managers New York Islanders players Sportspeople from Toronto Springfield Indians players Toledo Goaldiggers players Undrafted National Hockey League players