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Late-Blooming Right Winger Signs a New Deal

Not sure if the nickname, the Dutch Gretzky caught on, but it should have and he’s in the news today. Daniel Sprong had been an unrestricted free agent and now he signs a new contract. The Vancouver Canucks sign Sprong to a one-year deal worth $975K. Sprong was born in the Netherlands, but did play his junior hockey for the Charlottetown Islanders of the QMJHL.

Right Winger Daniel Sprong Signs a Contract With the Vancouver Canucks

Sprong was originally a second-round pick by the Pittsburgh Penguins way back in 2015. However, the 27-year-old is only now establishing himself as an NHL regular and consistent offensive producer. In 2022-23, as a member of the Seattle Kraken, Sprong had his most productive NHL campaign. He scored 21 goals and added 25 assists for 46 points in 66 games. He followed it up with a not-so productive season, but solid middle-six type numbers nonetheless. Playing for the Detroit Red Wings in 2023-24, Sprong had 18 goals and 25 assists for 43 points in 76 games. One interesting thing about this is that it was achieved in just 12:00 minutes a night and with an oZS% of 48.7%. Moreover, he maintains a solid Corsi standing with a CF% Rel of 6.8.

What Will He Bring to his Club

What signing Daniel Sprong to a contract brings to the team is depth scoring. Something the Canucks and General Manager Patrik Allvin will be more than happy to add to the roster. He is someone to throw out there on the power play. Furthermore, as noted by his statistics, he seems very efficient in his offensive production by the numbers. Therefore, it begs the question, what could he do on a top-line, with more so, superstar linemates? Either way, for a team looking for offensive boosts, Sprong is your guy. You can tell by the nickname, whether it was before or not, let’s make it happen.

Main photo credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

About Levi Pike, Editor

Levi Pike is an editor and writer here at Last Word on Hockey. He has lived all over Canada but grew up in Nanaimo, BC. Currently, he lives with his loving wife, three kids, and dog in the capital of the Easterly most province of Canada, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. He’s passionate about hockey, in particular, the Ottawa Senators and statistics. He received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Statistics at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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