The West Kelowna Warriors Junior ‘A’ Hockey Club would like to congratulate alumni forward David Pope, who signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Detroit Red Wings on Monday.
Pope, 24, enjoyed a productive three seasons in the British Columbia Hockey League from 2011-2014 with the Cowichan Valley Capitals and the Warriors. Pope played 24 games in Cowichan before being traded midway through the 2011 season to West Kelowna and became an offensive threat for the Warriors. The 6’3”, 200-pound forward tallied 50 goals and 57 assists for 107 points in 107 career games with the Warriors along with 59 penalty minutes.
The most productive season for the Edmonton, Alberta native was his final season in the BC Hockey League where he scored 27 goals in a Warriors sweater during the 2013/14 season and added 23 assists, good for 50 points in 45 games and was 4th on the Warriors in team scoring, earning himself a spot as a BCHL Second Team All-Star that season.
After his Junior Hockey career came to an end, Pope excelled at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, playing in 133 collegiate games and amassed 45 goals and 49 assists for 94 points during his four-year tenure in Omaha.
The 2017/18 season was a memorable one for the former Warrior forward as he scored 20 goals while adding 21 helpers for 41 points in 35 games to lead the Mavericks in scoring and finished tied for 28th in all of Division I college hockey in scoring. Pope was also nominated for the prestigious Hobey Baker Award while also being selected to the National Collegiate Hockey Conference’s (NCHC) First All-Star Team as well as the NCHC All-Academic Team, sharing a spit with former Warriors defenseman Adam Plant.
The Warriors organization would like to congratulate David on the contract and wish him the best of luck in his pro hockey and future endeavours!
