He's a hometown boy who, as a player, was one of the most popular members of the Prince George Cougars.
Now, after a nine-year professional career, Nick Drazenovic is back home.
On Friday, the Cougars announced the hiring of Drazenovic as director of player development. He begins his new job immediately and will be responsible for developing current roster players, as well as monitoring the progress of prospects on a year-round basis.
"I consider it a huge honour to be able to join my hometown WHL team as the director of player development," Drazenovic said in a media release. "I'm very grateful to the ownership group, (general manager) Todd Harkins, (head coach) Richard Matvichuk and the entire Cougars organization for giving me this opportunity to work in the greatest junior hockey league in the world."
Drazenovic couldn't be reached for direct comment on Friday.
Drazenovic, 30, was a first-round pick (11th overall) of the Cougars in the 2002 WHL bantam draft. He played 15 games for the team in 2002-03 and four full seasons after that. In 281 regular-season games, he scored 77 goals and added 137 assists for 214 points. All-time, he's the seventh-leading scorer in the Prince George history of the franchise.
Drazenovic was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the sixth round (171st overall) of the 2005 NHL draft and played three games with the Blues in 2010-11. Also in the NHL, he saw duty with the Columbus Blue Jackets (eight games in 2012-13) and Pittsburgh Penguins (one game in 2013-14).
At the minor pro level, Drazenovic played in the American Hockey League for the Peoria Rivermen, Springfield Falcons, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and San Antonio Rampage. In his final season with the Rampage, 2015-16, he had two goals and 10 points in 35 games. Overall, he registered 325 points (123 goals, 202 assists) in 504 regular-season AHL games.
Harkins considers Drazenovic "a very important hire" for the organization.
"He's played the game at the highest level and understands the development process and the sacrifice required to make it all the way to the National Hockey League from Prince George," Harkins said. "He's lived it first-hand, and his passion and experience are going to be very beneficial as he helps our players reach their NHL dreams."
Drazenovic, who first played organized hockey in the Prince George Minor Hockey Association, has a wife, Billie, and an infant son, Mikko.
The Cougars will take on the Rockets on Saturday night in Kelowna and will face the Blazers on Sunday in Kamloops.
