Izzy Cropper named interim head coach of the Griffins women's hockey team
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – After two seasons as an assistant coach with the Griffins women's hockey team, Izzy Cropper has been promoted to the title of interim head coach for the 2026-27 season, MacEwan Director of Athletics Joel Mrak announced Wednesday.
"We are thrilled to appoint Izzy to lead the Griffins Women's Hockey team into this upcoming season," said Mrak. "She brings a strong combination of leadership, player development experience, and a deep commitment to the program.
"We look forward to the guidance, energy, and vision she will bring to our student-athletes and to the program this season."
Cropper, who replaces Chris Leeming, brings a strong resume as a high-performance hockey leader in the Canada West women's hockey ranks, also serving as an assistant coach for the University of Alberta Pandas from 2020-24.
"I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to lead this program and would like to thank Joel and Lindsay (McAlpine, Associate Director of Athletics) for their trust and confidence in me," said Cropper, who becomes the sixth head coach in program history. "It's a privilege to work with this group and I'm looking forward to continuing to build relationships with our student-athletes and staff as we begin this next chapter together.
"I think there's a great deal to be optimistic about heading into the season and I'm eager to get to work."
Cropper also has extensive experience connecting with the Canada West prospect age group, currently serving as the U18 head coach of the Junior Pandas spring hockey program. She will also be an assistant coach for Team Alberta U18 at the 2027 Canada Winter Games after serving Hockey Alberta as a Challenge Cup head coach in 2025.
She has also recently worked with Special Olympics Alberta in Sport Coordinator and Community Coordinator roles since 2022.
In her assistant coaching role with the Griffins the past two seasons, Cropper was involved in planning, implementing and executing major tactical systems – specifically on defence and special teams – and organized athlete leadership development initiatives, strengthening team culture.
The interim head coach role will allow to expand on that and continue the program's growth since joining Canada West in 2021.
"I believe that competitive success and an exceptional student-athlete experience go hand in hand," said Cropper. "I'm confident that we have everything we need at MacEwan to build a successful, competitive and holistic program that develops our student-athletes on and off the ice and provides an experience that they'll value long after hockey."
Cropper, who can be reached at cropperi@macewan.ca, starts in the new role on June 29.
