The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted a profile of David Pope this afternoon:
Pope, who turns 24 in September, was among the older prospects at development camp, having spent the last four years playing wing at Nebraska-Omaha. Originally drafted 109th overall in 2013, Pope signed with the Wings in May with the understanding he’ll get some opportunities in the exhibition season as he vies for a role in Detroit.
“I have a shot to make the NHL and I just have to have a good summer, work on a few things,” Pope said during last week’s camp at Little Caesars Arena. “For me it’s more about skating – not necessarily technique or anything, but about stamina. I’ve been working with a skating coach in Detroit and should be good in the fall.”
Pope, 6 feet 3 and 198 pounds, has good offensive instincts and soft hands, and knows how to get open away from play. He recorded career highs in his senior year and led the Mavericks with 20 goals (12 on the power play) and 21 assists in 35 games. He’s a power play half-wall guy with a shoot-first mentality that should be welcome on the Wings, who ranked 25th with a 30.2 shots-per-game average in 2017-18.
“David is a scorer,” director of player development Shawn Horcoff said. “You can tell he is a shooter – he’s not a guy that’s going to lug the puck through the neutral zone or be creative – he is going to get it, give it to skill, and get open. And when he does get it, he’s going to shoot. He is going to get a lot of pucks to the net. He’s got a great shot. I know he’s looking to come to camp and vie for a spot.”
Mr. Vanek was given your seat sir. Please try hard anyway…
wondering if he wishes he had not signed with the wings, and become a free agent.