Vancouver Canucks organization officially announces signing of former NCAA star forward

It's been a busy time for the Vancouver Canucks organization and it's only going to get more hectic as December begins with both of the club's minor league affiliates - AHL Abbotsford & ECHL Kalamazoo, needing big months to enter the playoff picture in their respective leagues.

Down in the ECHL, the Kalamazoo Wings are continuing to search for roster help as they sit dead last in the Western Conference with just five wins in 16 games.

After releasing Noah Kane, cousin of Patrick Kane, over the weekend, the Kalamazoo Wings are bringing in a former NCAA forward who has previous experience with the club.

According to the ECHL's transactions log on Sunday, the Kalamazoo Wings have officially signed forward David Keefer who spent last season with a couple of teams over in Europe.

Keefer, 28, spent five seasons in the NCAA with Michigan State University and Northern Michigan University where he amassed 69 points (31 goals, 38 assists) in 150 games before making the jump to the pro ranks at the tail end of the 2022-23 campaign, signing with the Kalamazoo Wings.

After a successful rookie campaign in the ECHL with Kalamazoo in 2023-24, where he registered an impressive 48 points in 69 games, the Howell, Michigan native sought out a new challenge and took his talents to Europe where he suited up for Pioneers Vorarlberg in the ICEHL and HKM Zvolen in the Slovak Extraliga.

Keefer become a free agent at the end of the 2024-25 season after strong stints in Austria & Slovakia and ended up rejoining the Kalamazoo Wings in August, but has remained on their reserve list ever since and could make his season debut as early as Friday when the club hits the road to take on the Bloomington Bison at 5 p.m. PT (7 p.m. local).