Draper opts for Chilliwack’s return, returning for another BCHL season after leaving the league when it was inactive last winter.

Article content

Kienan Draper is once again a Chilliwack Chief.

Article content

The 19-year-old forward was among dozens of players who left the BCHL when he took a hiatus and entered practice mode only in the middle of last season due to COVID-19. The US Hockey League rival stayed active with the game, and Draper was part of the group that went there, jumping from the Chiefs to the Omaha Lancers.

The Chiefs lost nine solo players in various other leagues. The BCHL lost more than 50 players, according to various sources. The Junior A league ended up playing a 20-game season in the spring.

Draper is committed to the University of Miami (Ohio) and is scheduled to join their program next season.. He has chosen to return to play with the Chiefs and coach Brian Maloney for a junior hockey senior year.

Article content

The 18-team BCHL opens its regular season on Friday with seven games, including the Chiefs visiting the Langley Rivermen.

“I feel like I have some unfinished business here,” said the son of Detroit Red Wings veteran center Kris Draper. “With the training and the facilities, and with this being such a fantastic part of the country, I am very happy to be back.

“Last year was a bit strange. You don’t see guys leaving teams and leagues in the middle of the season, but we’re hockey players and we wanted to play, and we found a way to start playing. “

Article content

When asked to compare and contrast the BCHL with the USHL, Draper offered some subtle differences in style. He was complimentary about both, which is good practice for a young player regarding not burning bridges.

Maloney sees Draper return as a victory for the BCHL in their recruiting match with the USHL, especially considering Draper’s background. Kris Draper is the director of amateur scouting for the Red Wings and would have additional knowledge on all youth circuits.

“They are fans of this league,” Maloney said. “I know that they feel there is a better opportunity to develop here. Talking to him (Kienan) and his family last year, they didn’t want to leave, but it was a chance for some guaranteed games. We got it. We encourage it. “

Article content

Draper added: “I called Coach Maloney, told him I loved my time here last year and wanted to come back, and he said I was happy he was back.”

Article content

Article content

The 6-foot-1, 198-pound Draper says he has “some aspects that are similar” to his father as a player. They are both competitive and workhorse types. Kienan says one of his goals going forward is to develop his offensive game. He scored three goals and seven points in 37 games for Omaha last season.

Maloney thinks he has a chance to do it. He says it’s obvious that Draper has grown up in the game because he has “the little habits.”

“He has a chance to be quite dangerous in our league,” Maloney added.

Chilliwack is a regular contender on the BCHL and it looks like they will be following that path again this season. Draper, who was a seventh-round pick for the Wings in 2020, joins the Chiefs in advance for Ethan bowen, who was a 2020 seventh round for the Anaheim Ducks, and for Frankie Carogioiello, who will also return to Chilliwack this season after jumping into the USHL and their Muskegon Lumberjacks in the middle of last year.

Carogioiello was Draper’s classmates at St. Andrews Preparatory School in Aurora, Ontario, before the two arrived at Chilliwack last season. He is also committed to Miami.

“I think we have something special,” Maloney said. “We may not be as sexy on paper as we were in previous years, but we have a lot of team speed and we have a little more guts. We also have a good core group that is coming back, so we didn’t start from scratch. “

[email protected]

Twitter: @SteveEwen