Drake Berehowsky (born January 3, 1972) is a
Canadian
Canadians () 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 their being ''C ...
former professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
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 l ...
. He is best known for his time in the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
(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. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...
,
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...
,
Edmonton Oilers,
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators (colloquially referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Predators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Divisio ...
,
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...
and
Phoenix Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...
.
He is the former head coach of the
Orlando Solar Bears of the
ECHL. 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 with the Toronto Marlboros
minor ice hockey
Minor ice hockey or 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 c ...
team.
Berehowsky began his junior hockey career with the
Kingston Raiders of the
Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in 1988 and had a strong rookie season, earning 46 points in 63 games. The Raiders were renamed the "
Kingston Frontenacs" in 1989–90. Berehowsky only appeared in nine games as he suffered a serious knee injury. He earned 14 points in those nine games and 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. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...
drafted Berehowsky with their first round draft pick in the
1990 NHL Entry Draft. Berehowsky split the 1990–91 season between the Frontenacs and the
North Bay Centennials 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 earned another late season call-up to Toronto, appearing in a single game, before being sent to the
St. John's Maple Leafs for the 1992
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...
(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
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...
for
Grant Jennings. Berehowsky finished 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, their AHL affiliate, for most of the season and he only appeared in one game with the Penguins. After the season, Berehowsky became a free agent.
He split the 1996–97 season between the
Carolina Monarchs of the AHL and the
San Antonio Dragons of the
International Hockey League until signing an NHL contract with the
Edmonton Oilers 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 spend some time with the
Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL, playing in eight games.
On October 1, 1998, the Oilers traded Berehowsky,
Éric Fichaud and
Greg de Vries to the
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators (colloquially referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Predators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Divisio ...
for
Mikhail Shtalenkov 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
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...
.
Berehowsky's time with the Canucks was short, as he was once again traded, on December 28, 2001, with
Denis Pederson, to the
Phoenix Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...
for
Todd Warriner,
Trevor Letowski and
Tyler Bouck. Berehowsky spent 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, and he only appeared in seven games with Phoenix, and two with the
Springfield Falcons 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, where he finished out the season.
With the NHL in a
lockout 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 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 of the AHL for three seasons. On June 19, 2012, Berehowsky was named head coach of the
Orlando Solar Bears for their inaugural season in the
ECHL.
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 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 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 hocke ...
(WHL). During his first season with the club, the 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 of the
Ontario Hockey League 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 the United States
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
NHL 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