The Vancouver Canucks are rolling in preseason. On Tuesday, they beat the Seattle Kraken 3-1 at Rogers Arena. The following night, they defeated the Calgary Flames 4-3 in overtime in Abbotsford, BC. Sure, it is preseason and the games don’t mean anything, but it is nice to see wins. In preseason, there is the opportunity for players to impress and for fans to get a preview of what is hopefully to come. One of those players is Daniel Sprong. Can Sprong make an impact with the Canucks this season?
Sprong Impresses
Sprong was ready to make an impression with his new team on Wednesday. The 27-year-old signed a one-year contract worth $975,000 in the offseason. He was the one that got the game-tying goal for Vancouver. It is worth mentioning because it was a thing of beauty and one for the highlight reels.
Oh my, Daniel Sprong 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/VTn52vspKT
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) September 26, 2024
Sprong joked with the media after the game that he felt like the Canucks captain on his goal.
“I felt like Quinn [Hughes] out there, a little bit dancing,” he said per Tyson Cole of Canucks Army. “Time was running down, I had speed and then made the move. That’s part of my game, really aggressive off the rush and got an opportunity to show that at the end.”
As a result, fellow newcomer Jake DeBrusk won the game in overtime. We previously discussed DeBrusk and his expectations for 2024-25 with the club. But how can Sprong make an impact in Vancouver?
How Can Sprong Make an Impact With the Canucks?
Sprong said it best on Wednesday night. Being aggressive off the rush and using his speed is a huge part of his game. Not only that, he has proven he can score goals. Last season he scored 18 goals with the Detroit Red Wings. The season before that was a career-high 21 goals with the Seattle Kraken. The year before was a 14-goal campaign split between the Washington Capitals and Seattle. Three straight years with double-digit goals is nice to have on the resume. Sprong was tied for third in 5-on-5 goals on the Red Wings last season as per NaturalStatTrick. The player he was tied with was Patrick Kane.
However, as good as Sprong is with scoring, and his offensive play, it is his defensive play that is concerning. In Detroit, Sprong was third in goals-per-60-minutes (3.23) and second in goals-against-per-60-minutes (2.89) among forwards at 5-on-5. Sprong’s offensive game will be welcomed. However, he needs to work on his defensive game. Rick Tocchet is the coach for that as he is a huge advocate for structure and good play without the puck. But will Sprong get on Tocchet’s good side?
The way he can do that is not only score goals but he needs to learn how to play defensively. It is a tough ask for a primarily offensive player (Andrei Kuzmenko learned that the hard way) to be solid defensively but Sprong knows he has to do it if he wants to make an impact with the Canucks. The expectations for Sprong should be to reach the double-digit mark in goals again and flirt with the 35 to 40-point mark.
Sprong Could Even Play and Impact Vancouver’s Top Six
It will be interesting to see where Sprong fits in the lineup. He is best suited for the bottom six but can play in the top six as well. With the Canucks forward depth and the offensive juice he brings, there is no reason why he can’t.
Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller, Brock Boeser, and DeBrusk are all the real locks for the top six. Danton Heinen, Nils Höglander, and Conor Garland are also contenders. Sprong could be in the mix as well if he continues to impress in the preseason.
There are many options for Sprong. A line with Pettersson and DeBrusk could provide a ton of scoring. It would also be interesting if he is played with Miller and Boeser. If not the top six, the bottom six would be fine as depth scoring is always a good thing to have. But wherever he plays and if he does well, Sprong would be one of the league’s best bargains.
Main Photo Credit: Bob Frid – USA TODAY Sports
