Jefferson Hagen, MacEwan Athletics

EDMONTON – Although it was a shortened season due to the pandemic, David Kope put an exclamation point on his junior career in 2020-21, scoring at nearly a point-per-game clip for the Kelowna Rockets.

MacEwan men's hockey head coach Michael Ringrose announced Wednesday the creative forward is returning to his hometown to join the Griffins for the 2021-22 Canada West/U SPORTS season.

He'll have every chance to prove the production in his final Western Hockey League season – six goals and 15 points in 16 games – is tailor-made for a top-six role on the Griffins.

"David Kope is a massive signing for the program," said Ringrose. "I'm really, really excited to get him committed. I see him as a guy who's going to come in and not just contribute, but be a leader for us offensively right off the get-go."

For Kope, it's a homecoming.

In fact, he only needs to cross the hall to get to the Griffins' dressing room from the main annals of Rogers Place where he was a big part of the Edmonton Oil Kings for three seasons (2017-20).

David Kope played 199 games with the Edmonton Oil Kings over three seasons from 2017-20 (Andy Devlin, Edmonton Oil Kings).

"He finished in Kelowna as a point a game player with the Rockets, but he's from Edmonton," noted Ringrose of the CAC Canadians product. "He's an Edmonton-area kid, born-and-raised, so I'm very familiar with his time playing minor hockey and growing up.

"I know what he's capable of and what he can come in and do for our program. We're excited about it."

The right winger will join his Rockets/CAC teammate Sean Comrie and former CAC mate Ryley Appelt – both previously announced as part of the Griffins' 2021 recruiting class – at MacEwan.

It wasn't that long ago that Kope was a household name on the Oil Kings, featured regularly on the Rogers Place jumbotron as he produced 95 points in 199 games, including 37 points in 59 games in 2019-20 as a 19 year old.

"Consistently scoring at the WHL level is a difficult thing to do and it's something he was able to do throughout his career," said Ringrose. "I'm extremely excited to get him through the door here at MacEwan and watch him take on some of the offensive minutes we've lost to graduation over the last couple of years."

The Griffins are gearing up for their U SPORTS debut in Regina on Oct. 15 and are set to hit the ice for training camp on Aug. 31.