Meet Krissy Draper!

Tell us about yourself!

Hi! I’m Krissy Draper and I’m 18 years old. I am from the Ottawa, Ontario. I have played hockey for the past 11 years, with this year being the first year that I have not played full time as I have just graduated minor hockey and am starting university this fall. I have played both competitive and house league hockey during my career and fell in love with the sport.

In minor peewee, I decided to give back to the association, the Smiths Falls Cubs, by becoming an assistant coach/on-ice helper for the Atom house team that year. I fell in love with coaching and being around the younger players in my association. From there, I took my level one coaching and from then on, I have been an assistant coach in my association. I have coached atom, peewee, and now, bantam level girls. This fall, I have made the decision to continue coaching in my association while I attend university.

My love for my association and for being heavily involved within my association, the Smiths Falls Cubs, has gone much further than just being an assistant coach. I took the role of equipment manager with my parents, a non-voting member of the association’s executive, for the 12-team association during my minor midget season while also coaching, playing and attending high school.

During my last year of minor hockey, I decided I wasn’t busy enough and decided to become a level one referee for the Ottawa District Women’s Hockey Association. I refereed novice and atom games and have decided to continue this upcoming season

What made you want to be a WHL Brand Ambassador?

As a recent graduate of minor hockey, I wanted to remain in the sport making a difference and to continue promoting the sport I love so dearly. I wanted to become a WHL Brand Ambassador because I wanted to show young female hockey players that they can make a difference in the sport.

What are you most looking forward to as a #WHLAMBASSADOR?

I look forward to using this platform to continue to promote and give back to the sport I love so dearly. I also am looking forward to meeting other people who are equally as passionate as I am about the sport.

What’s something not a lot of people know about you?

I LOVE NACHOS.

I can’t stand the taste of Gatorade during a game or even after a game.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given in hockey or in life?

The best advice I have been ever given is advice that my mother gave me during the middle of my last year of minor hockey; “When you’re 40 years old coaching your own kids’ hockey team, you’ll think about your own career and you won’t remember the amount of wins or losses or how many tournaments you won or even how many goals and penalty minutes you got, you’ll remember the lifelong friendships that you have from the sport. The friendships and sisters you made throughout the years are the most important aspect of the experience.”

What’s your dream for women’s hockey?

My dream for women’s hockey is for the sport to be in the spotlight just as frequently as men’s hockey and for female hockey players to receive the same recognition as males for their successes.

Want to be a #WHLAmbassador?

Get more details and apply here!