Report: Controversy surrounding Sprong keeping him out of Pittsburgh

Some issues between him and the coach.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 6 years ago
Report: Controversy surrounding Sprong keeping him out of Pittsburgh
Keystone Press

One of the brightest prospects trying to carve a name for himself in the National Hockey League currently belongs to the Pittsburgh Penguins. If you read the title of this article, surely you know we're talking about Daniel Sprong.

Touted as Phil Kessel-lite (and not because he doesn't have a belly like Phil apparently does), he's potentially one of the next "big" snipers in the league. Despite showing what he can do, he hasn't won the favor of Mike Sullivan.

"Sprong is an interesting case. One can't deny that the Penguins, and Crosby in particular, started playing better while Sprong was with the team. He's got serious talent, clearly. It's also pretty clear that Sullivan doesn't trust the kid at all," Josh Yohe wrote for The Athletic recently.

"Sullivan clearly thinks Sprong needs to work harder during games. I'm not sure if his practice performance is an issue or not. I haven't heard that. But there is something about Sprong that seems to annoy coaches. I saw it with Mike Johnston. I see it with Sullivan, too. He's young and he'll learn. He's a great talent. But perhaps the attitude still isn't perfect."

This is probably one of those instances where a young kid hasn't matured enough to play at the highest level possible. All the skill is there. Even the defensive concerns turned out to be unwarranted.


But his attitude is a problem, and Sullivan isn't the first coach to clearly not be too happy about it.

Sprong will have his moment, but only after he matures and develops the professionalism required of him to get out of Sullivan's dog house. It's clear if you observe the Ian Cole situation that this is no easy feat.

Let's just hope Jim Rutherford isn't forced to shop yet another talent because the coach doesn't like him.

Source: The Athletic