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Sprong, who’s a free-agent addition on the wing, and core centre Pettersson were among the Canucks who took part in an informal skate Thursday at UBC
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Published Sep 05, 2024 • 4 minute read
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Detroit Red Wings’ Daniel Sprong moves the puck away from Carolina Hurricanes’ Teuvo Teravainen March 28, 2024. Vancouver is Sprong’s sixth team, and the knock on him is that he’s had issues defensively. Photo by Karl B DeBlaker /THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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It’ll be interesting to see if Daniel Sprong and Elias Pettersson have chemistry on the ice for the Vancouver Canucks — because they have a connection away from the rink.
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Sprong and Pettersson were among the 20 Canucks who took part in an informal skate Thursday at UBC. They’re preparing for training camp, which start in Penticton on Sept. 19.
Sprong was one of Vancouver’s free-agent additions this summer. He’s a right-shot winger known for his ability to fire the puck. He talked Thursday about how he randomly bumped into Pettersson on vacation three years ago. They hung out and have remained in contact.
Pettersson was one of the first Vancouver players Sprong spoke to after signing with the Canucks. As it happens, finding wingers who mesh well with Pettersson, the 25-year-old pivot who’s a centrepiece of this Vancouver group moving forward, has been one of the main talking points around the team since the end of last season.
“We really bonded on that vacation. It was a good trip,” said Sprong, 27, who didn’t get into details of where they went. “I was there. He was there at the same time. We ran into each other there and went for dinner. We’ve stayed close friends and always talk after games.”
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Pettersson’s struggles down the stretch and in the playoffs were well documented. At the year-end media wrap-up, he spoke of being bothered by a knee issue in the second half.
Coach Rick Tocchet spoke last season about Pettersson needing to drive play more. Tocchet also didn’t duck the fact that his wingers played a role. In the post-season series against the Edmonton Oilers, Tocchet told the media: “I’m not sure he’s getting sometimes the help he needs.”
Ilya Mikheyev was a regular on Pettersson’s line much of the campaign. He had five goals in his first nine games last season. He had six goals in the next 80 when you combine regular season and playoffs matchups.
The Canucks traded Mikheyev, who has a $4.75 million cap hit, along with fellow winger Sam Lafferty and a 2027 second-round draft pick to the Chicago Blackhawks in June for a 2027 fourth rounder. It was all in a bid to open up cap space, and Vancouver still wound up retaining 15 per cent — or $712,500 — of Mikheyev’s salary for this coming season and next.
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Daniel Sprong played bottom-six minutes last year with the Detroit Red Wings, finishing 11th among their forwards at 12 minutes of ice time per game. He still had 18 goals in 76 games. He had a career-high 21 goals in 66 games with the Seattle Kraken the season before. Photo by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette
The Canucks inked both Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen to revamp their forward group when free agency opened on July 1. They added Sprong via a one-year, $975,000 contract on July 20.
Just how Tocchet wants to configure his lines will start coming into focus in Penticton. Sprong’s shot is his main asset, and it’s easy to think that the 6-foot, 195 pounder will get a crack at playing in an offensive role, be it with Pettersson or someone else.
He played bottom-six minutes last year with the Detroit Red Wings, finishing 11th among their forwards at 12 minutes of ice time per game. He still had 18 goals in 76 games. He had a career-high 21 goals in 66 games with the Seattle Kraken the season before.
In the pre-season last year, then Red Wings forward David Perron told the Detroit Hockey Now: “I played with him in a 3-on-3 league this summer (in Montreal) and at any moment he can shoot from the corner, shoot from the blue line, shoot from the dots. I think he’s in range all the time to score. He’s got a really quick release, sneaky shot.”
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Vancouver is Sprong’s sixth team, and the knock on him is that he’s had issues defensively. The modus operandi sounds similar to Andrei Kuzmenko, the big-shooting winger who quickly wore out his welcome with Tocchet and was traded away to the Calgary Flames. One difference with Sprong is that he was a Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick where he played three seasons, so he comes in versed in the ways of Tocchet, general manager Patrik Allvin and president Jim Rutherford, who are all Penguins alums. And, of course, they are have a history with him as well.
Sprong has said that his conversations with Tocchet were part of what attracted him to signing in Vancouver, and Tocchet’s certainly known for being honest.
“Hopefully I can play in the top six. But the last couple of years I’ve done a good job playing in that depth role and those numbers show that,” Sprong said. “I think there’s more to my game and hopefully I can show that here.”
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Other participants in Thursday’s skate included Pettersson, forwards J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser and goaltender Arturs Silovs, who didn’t play for Latvia in the recent Olympic qualifying tournament due to knee ligament inflammation. The hope is that he’s ready to start the NHL season.
Goalie Thatcher Demko, who had his season shut down in the playoffs due to a knee injury, wasn’t on the ice Thursday. There are reports he could miss the start of training camp, but also reports that he’s back skating.
The Canucks open the regular season Oct. 9 at home against the Flames.
@SteveEwen
SEwen@postmedia.com
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Courtesy : https://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/canucks-daniel-sprong-elias-pettersson-line