While the trade the Vancouver Canucks pulled the trigger on last night was viewed by most as a minor league transaction, David Pope will have every opportunity in Utica to prove himself as the promising young player the Detroit Red Wings once considered him to be.
The Edmonton native made a name for himself in the BCHL with the West Kelowna Warriors, where an impressive 2012-13 sophomore campaign in the BCHL caught the eye of Red Wings scouts.
Pope was taken by Detroit that year in the fourth round (109th overall) and returned to West Kelowna the next season, where he put up career highs in goals and assists, earning second-team All Star honors along the way.