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The post Griffins Sign Son of Red Wings Assistant GM Draper appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.
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Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORKNick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
When he was a wee lad, Kienan Draper could often be found scurrying around the Detroit Red Wings dressing room at Joe Louis Arena.
Draper’s college hockey days ended when Michigan lost to Denver in the Frozen Four semifinals. His hockey career will continue in the pro ranks as part of the Red Wings organization. The Grand Rapids Griffins on Monday signed forward Draper to an amateur tryout for the remainder of this season. The Griffins also inked Draper to a two-year AHL contract beginning with the 2026-27 season.
Draper, the son of former Red Wings Grind Line center and current Detroit assistant GM Kris Draper, recently wrapped up his senior season at the University of Michigan. He collected 18 points (5-13-18), and a plus-21 rating in 40 games. Throughout his four-year collegiate career as a Wolverine, the 24-year-old logged 40 points (17-23-40) and a plus-21 rating in 133 outings.
Red Wings Draper A Proud Papa
Kris Draper came to the Red Wings organization during the 1993-94 season, and he has been an ever-present. He played 1,137 games for the team from 1993-94 through 2010-11, winning the Stanley Cup in 1996-97, 1997-98, 2001-02, and 2007-08. He’s one of 11 players in franchise history to earn four Stanley Cup rings as a player. Draper won the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward in 2003-04. He played for Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics.
Dad is excited by the thought of another family member joining the organization.
“It’s definitely going to be special,” Kris Draper said. “There’s no doubt about it. He grew up in Joe Louis Arena and played for Little Caesars AAA hockey his entire amateur career.
“He skated at the Joe, he skated at Little Caesars Arena, he skated at Belfor. I’m proud of him, I’m proud of the work that he put in.”
Kienan Draper was a two-time Big Ten champion at Michigan (2022-23, 2025-26) and reached the NCAA Frozen Four in three of his four campaigns. Draper was the 187th overall pick by the Red Wings in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. With Little Caesars, Draper was a youth hockey teammate alongside current Griffins Carter Mazur and Jacob Truscott.
The post Griffins Sign Son of Red Wings Assistant GM Draper appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.
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