Drayson Bowman

Drayson Bowman
Born	(1989-03-08) March 8, 1989 Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation	Professional ice hockey player (retired)
Years active	2009–2018
Known for	NHL career with Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens

Drayson Jack Bowman (born March 8, 1989) is a retired American professional ice hockey center who competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens. The Hurricanes selected Bowman 72nd overall during the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Bowman’s major junior career spanned four seasons with the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He captured the Memorial Cup with Spokane in 2008 and earned recognition as a WHL West Second Team All-Star in 2009. Beginning his professional journey in the 2009–10 NHL season, Bowman mainly played in the Hurricanes’ affiliate teams, including the Albany River Rats and Charlotte Checkers in the American Hockey League (AHL). On the international stage, he represented Team USA at the 2009 IIHF World U20 Championships.

Early life

Originating from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Bowman was raised in Littleton, Colorado after his family relocated there in the early 1990s. His father, Mark Bowman, operates a financial consulting firm based in Colorado. Bowman's younger brother, Collin, also pursued competitive hockey within the WHL, playing for squads such as the Kelowna Rockets and Calgary Hitmen.

During his youth, Bowman took part in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments in both 2001 and 2002 as a member of the Colorado Junior Avalanche minor hockey organization. He attended Deer Creek Middle School in Littleton and admired Colorado Avalanche star Joe Sakic.

In 2003, seeking enhanced opportunities to develop his hockey skills, Bowman’s family moved to Vancouver, British Columbia. While there, he enrolled at Vancouver Christian School and competed at bantam level hockey for the North Vancouver Winter Hawks.

Junior

Bowman was picked eighth overall by the Spokane Chiefs in the 2004 WHL Bantam Draft. He made his initial appearance with Spokane during the 2004–05 season in four games but spent most of that year playing Junior B hockey with the Kimberley Dynamiters of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL). In 47 games with Kimberley, he tallied 29 goals and 59 points, earning Eddie Mountain Division rookie of the year honors. Bowman became a full-time member of the Chiefs roster for 2005–06, registering 17 goals and 34 points across 72 games—ranking seventeenth among WHL rookies—and was recognized as Spokane’s rookie of the year. Despite his contributions, the Chiefs finished last in their conference and did not qualify for postseason play.

Heading into 2006–07, Bowman was rated as the ninth-best WHL prospect by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau (CSB) and participated in the CHL Top Prospects Game. That season he recorded 24 goals and 43 points over 61 games while leading Spokane to their first playoff berth since his debut season. Bowman led all Chiefs players with seven points during six playoff contests before being ousted by the Everett Silvertips. Prior to the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, his ranking improved to thirty-sixth among North American skaters, culminating in his selection at 72nd overall by the Carolina Hurricanes.

After attending Carolina’s NHL training camp in September 2007, Bowman returned for his third full WHL campaign with Spokane. He topped team scoring charts with 82 points in 66 games; his total of 42 goals tied him for fourth place league-wide. In addition, he led Spokane with 20 points throughout 21 playoff games as they secured the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions and qualified for the 2008 Memorial Cup tournament.

During the Memorial Cup competition, Bowman delivered a hat trick in Spokane’s opening game, including a late goal that forced overtime in a 5–4 victory against the Belleville Bulls. He found the net in every one of their four tournament matches, scoring decisive goals against the Kitchener Rangers in both round-robin play and the final. The Chiefs completed an undefeated run to claim their inaugural Memorial Cup title, with Bowman leading all teammates by amassing eight points and six goals; this performance earned him a spot on the Memorial Cup All-Star Team.

Following this achievement, Bowman secured a three-year contract worth US$2.06 million with Carolina on July 31, 2008. In his concluding junior season (2008–09), he served as an alternate captain alongside teammates Justin McCrae, Seth Compton, and Jared Spurgeon. Throughout that season, Bowman twice received WHL and CHL Player of the Week accolades due to exceptional scoring displays. He finished fourth among league goal scorers with 47 goals and again led Spokane with a personal best total of 83 points. Selected to the WHL West Second All-Star Team alongside goalie Dustin Tokarski, Bowman ended his junior tenure after Spokane’s seven-game second-round playoff defeat by the Vancouver Giants. He concluded ranked fifth all-time for Spokane with 136 career goals and accumulated a total of 250 points over 269 games.

Professional

Following the conclusion of his final WHL season, Bowman joined the Carolina Hurricanes during their 2009 postseason campaign, participating in practices as the team progressed to the Eastern Conference Finals. In the subsequent season, he was assigned to Carolina’s AHL affiliate, the Albany River Rats, where he netted his first professional goal in his initial game. Midway through the season, Bowman made his NHL debut on January 16, 2010. After a short stint back with Albany, he was recalled again in March due to an injury on the Hurricanes’ roster. In April 2010, Bowman scored his first two NHL goals during an 8–5 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. He completed the 2009–10 NHL season with two goals across nine games and received commendations from coach Paul Maurice for his abilities and hockey intelligence. With Carolina missing the 2010 playoffs, Bowman returned to Albany for their postseason, contributing nine points over eight games before being eliminated in the second round.

Bowman earned a spot on the Hurricanes’ 2010–11 roster out of training camp but was reassigned to their new AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, within a month. He tallied 30 points in 51 games before being recalled in March. He concluded that NHL season with one assist over 23 games and then rejoined Charlotte for their playoff run, adding eight points in 15 games as the Checkers advanced to the Conference Finals.

During the 2011–12 campaign, Bowman started with Charlotte and received multiple short-term recalls to Carolina. A highlight included scoring two goals against the Vancouver Canucks in December 2011—his first NHL goals in over a year. He finished that season with 13 points in 37 NHL contests and accumulated 26 points in 42 AHL appearances. The Hurricanes extended a qualifying offer to maintain his restricted free agent status.

After completing his first full NHL season in 2013–14, Bowman entered free agency and attended Montreal Canadiens training camp on a tryout basis in September 2014. He subsequently signed a one-year, two-way contract with Montreal on October 2 but was not offered a new contract following that season.

With no NHL contracts available by October 2015, Bowman signed a one-year agreement with the Colorado Eagles of the ECHL. After recording three assists in three games, he was loaned back to the Charlotte Checkers (AHL) later that month. Following 16 games with Charlotte, Bowman opted to continue his career in Europe by signing for the remainder of the season with Düsseldorfer EG of Germany’s DEL in December 2015.

After spending two seasons with Düsseldorfer EG, Bowman returned to North America as a free agent and rejoined the Colorado Eagles of the ECHL on September 14, 2017, where he played alongside his brother Collin.

International play

Bowman was chosen to represent the United States under-20 squad at the 2009 World Junior Championships held in Ottawa, joining Spokane Chiefs teammates Tyler Johnson and Mitchell Wahl. In a preliminary matchup against Germany, he scored twice and earned player of the game honors. Across six tournament games, Bowman amassed three goals and one assist, placing fifth among team scorers. Following a 5–3 quarterfinal defeat against Slovakia, Team USA secured a fifth-place finish by defeating the Czech Republic 3–2 in overtime.

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2004–05	Kimberley Dynamiters	KIJHL		47	29	30	59	108		—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	Spokane Chiefs	WHL		4	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Spokane Chiefs	WHL		72	17	17	34	51		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Spokane Chiefs	WHL		61	24	19	43	55		6	2	5	7	4
2007–08	Spokane Chiefs	WHL		66	42	40	82	62		21	11	9	20	8
2008–09	Spokane Chiefs	WHL		62	47	36	83	107		12	8	5	13	8
2009–10	Albany River Rats	AHL		56	17	15	32	29		8	3	6	9	12
2009–10	Carolina Hurricanes	NHL		9	2	0	2	4		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Charlotte Checkers	AHL		51	12	18	30	53		15	2	6	8	6
2010–11	Carolina Hurricanes	NHL		23	0	1	1	12		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Charlotte Checkers	AHL		42	13	13	26	45		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Carolina Hurricanes	NHL		37	6	7	13	4
2012–13	Charlotte Checkers	AHL		37	14	8	22	21
2012–13	Carolina Hurricanes	NHL		37	3	2	5	17
2013–14	Carolina Hurricanes	NHL		70	4	8	12	16
2014–15	Hamilton Bulldogs	AHL		62	14	19	33	33
2014–15	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		3	0	0	0	0
2015–16	Colorado Eagles	ECHL		3	0	3	3	2
2015–16	Charlotte Checkers	AHL		16	2	2	4	10
2015–16	Düsseldorfer EG	DEL		24	10	7	17	33		5	1	0	1	4
2016–17	Düsseldorfer EG	DEL		51	11	9	20	24
2017–18	Colorado Eagles	ECHL		65	20	35	55	66		20	5	6	11	14
NHL totals				179	15	18	33	53		—	—	—	—	—

International

Year	Team	Tournament	Placement		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2009	United States	WJC	5th place		6	3	1	4	6
Junior career totals					6	3	1	4	6

Awards and honors

Award	Year
KIJHL
Eddie Mountain Division Rookie of the Year	2005
WHL
Ed Chynoweth Cup (with Spokane Chiefs)	2008
Memorial Cup (with Spokane Chiefs)	2008
CHL Memorial Cup All-Star Team	2008
WHL and CHL Player of the Week	January 26 – February 1, 2009 March 9–15, 2009
WHL West Second All-Star Team	2008, 2009
ECHL
Kelly Cup (Colorado Eagles)	2018
International
World Junior Championships Player of the Game	vs. Germany, preliminary round; 2009