The Stats:
Regular Season
Playoffs
The Charts:
The Key Stat: This past season, at 5v5 per 60 minutes among forwards that played at least 20 games (he played 41), Sprong was second in goals and 20th in points. Looking at the same 5v5 stats among forwards from the last three seasons that played at least 100 games (he played 113), Sprong ranks 11th in goals and 109th in points. And if you look through the names on the list I just mentioned,no one around him played close to the time on ice per game stat he did. Maybe give the kid more ice time and see what he can do with it?
The Good: Sprong wasn’t given a starting spot on the ice when the season began but he didn’t let that get him down. He stuck with it and when his name was called to play measly fourth line minutes with AHL talent he didn’t complain. He produced well with what was around him and got some long stints in the top six and kept producing. One of the hits on Sprong before he became a Cap was his attitude. He either never had it or matured and lost it, because his attitude and work ethic has been nothing but great since joining the Capitals.
The Bad: There is no bad. Sprong is perfect in every way. But seriously, it’s hard to nitpick his game. Maybe his underlying stats aren’t fantastic but hard to tell if that was more from just being thrown all over the lineup with inconsistent time or what. Hopefully he gets more consistent top nine time and we can see what he’s capable of. At the end of the day, even if he doesn’t drive play all that well that’s okay. His game breaking offensive talent is worth it for what he’s getting paid
The Video:
The Discussion: Do you think Sprong is capable of being the player he was drafted to be? Would more time on ice with better talent up his game? Or is he destined to be a bottom six plug in that can help scoring depth? Finally, what would it take for you to give Sprong a 10 next season?
The Vote: Rate Daniel Sprong below on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best) based on his performance relative to his potential and your expectations for the season – if he had the best year you could have imagined him having, give him a 10; if he more or less played as you expected he would, give him a 5 or a 6; if he had the worst year you could have imagined him having, give him a 1.