Tom Draper


Thomas Edward Draper is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey goaltender. He was chosen in the eighth round, 165th overall, the 8th pick of the Winnipeg Jets in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Draper was born in Outremont, Quebec. As a youth, he played in the 1978 and 1979 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Verdun, Quebec.
Draper played collegiately at the University of Vermont and, after college, played one season in Finland with Tappara of the SM-liiga. He made his North American professional debut with the AHL's Moncton Hawks in the 1988–89 season, and also appeared in two NHL games with the Winnipeg Jets that same season.
On February 28, 1991, the Jets traded Draper to the St. Louis Blues for future considerations, which on May 24, 1991 turned out to be for Jim Vesey; Draper was ultimately traded back to the Jets. On June 22, 1991 the Buffalo Sabres acquired him from the Jets for the seventh round draft pick in the 1992 entry draft. On September 30, 1993 the Sabres traded Draper to the New York Islanders for a seventh round draft pick, Steve Plouffe in the 1994 entry draft. He then became a free agent and the Winnipeg Jets picked him up again on December 14, 1995.
In his NHL career, Draper played with the Jets, Buffalo Sabres, and New York Islanders. He ended up playing 53 professional games in the NHL. He also spent several seasons in both the AHL and the IHL. In the 1998–99 AHL season, with the Rochester Americans, Draper shared the Hap Holmes Memorial Award with teammate Martin Biron. Draper had a career goals against average of 3.70 and 19 wins in the NHL. After his NHL career Draper went back to Finland and became a top netminder playing for the Espoo Blues and Lukko Rauma, gaining a record of 27-17-7.

Awards and honors