Sprong says he's already good friends with Canucks superstar
Daniel Sprong won’t be walking into a room full of strangers on his first day with the Vancouver Canucks.
“I have a couple of friends on Vancouver so we talked a little bit when I was trying to make my decision,” said the newest Canucks player today when talking to the media.
“I’m good friends with Pettersson, we met on vacation. We met on vacation a couple years ago and we stayed in touch.”
The friendship with the star may come in useful for Sprong who will be fighting for a spot in the team’s top-six. The Canucks struggled to supply Pettersson with consistent scoring wingers last season and the new free agent addition has got the shot to potentially fit like a glove.
Hello, it's Daniel Sprong! #LGRW pic.twitter.com/2gaaVuoc9z
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) February 19, 2024
If Sprong and Pettersson show chemistry in training camp and preseason, the Dutchman could earn an early chance to stick in the team’s top-six.
Sprong also mentioned he’s friends with the likely third player on that line, Jake DeBrusk, as they went through the draft process at the same time.
“DeBrusk, we met each other through the draft and kept in touch,” explained Sprong.
The Canucks are hoping that Sprong can add a scoring punch to the team. The winger is 11th among all players in five-on-five goals-per-60-minutes over the past two seasons and has never struggled to put points on the board. The struggle will be getting everything else in order, including his defensive game.
“Sometimes my defensive game can be a little bit of a weakness, and it’s the coach’s trust in certain situations where that affects my ice-time,” said Sprong candidly when asked about his struggle to break into a top-six role over the past few years.
“That’s something we talked about, and we’re going to work on it to gain the trust and be reliable in those situations… it’s not just for myself, it’s for the team as well.”
The Canucks start their training camp for the upcoming season on Thursday, September 19, in Penticton.
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