Daniel Sprong

Daniel Sprong
Born	(1997-03-17) March 17, 1997 Amsterdam, Netherlands
Occupation	Professional ice hockey player
Years active	2011–present
Known for	Playing as a right winger in the NHL and KHL

Daniel Sprong (born March 17, 1997) is a Dutch professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for HC CSKA Moscow in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Selected 46th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft after two seasons with the Charlottetown Islanders of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), Sprong immediately secured a spot on the Penguins' roster but returned to junior hockey for an additional two seasons. He spent portions of four seasons alternating between Pittsburgh and their American Hockey League affiliate before being traded to the Anaheim Ducks in 2018, then to the Washington Capitals in 2020, followed by tenures with the Seattle Kraken, Detroit Red Wings, and Vancouver Canucks, ultimately returning to Seattle.

Originally from the Netherlands, Sprong moved to Canada in 2005 to further his hockey development.

Junior

Sprong began his hockey journey in Amsterdam, often competing against older players due to a scarcity of local youth programs. To enhance his development, his family relocated to L'Île-Bizard, Quebec in 2005, where he played within the Deux-Rives minor hockey system and participated in the 2008 and 2009 editions of the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament.

During the 2011–12 season, Sprong played for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights, a traveling team based in Pennsylvania. Returning to Quebec for the following season with the Lac St-Louis Tigres, he set a scoring record in the Quebec Midget Espoir AA league by amassing 104 points across 30 games. Drafted 13th overall by the Charlottetown Islanders in the 2013 QMJHL draft, he led his team with 68 points over 67 games in his rookie year and earned a place on the 2013–14 QMJHL All-Rookie Team. The subsequent season, Sprong again topped Charlottetown’s scoring charts with 88 points, placing twelfth league-wide in the QMJHL, and was selected to participate in the 2015 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. Prior to being drafted by Pittsburgh, he was ranked as the 20th best North American skater by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.

Following a brief stint in the NHL during 2015, Sprong returned to Charlottetown for part of the 2015–16 campaign, compiling 46 points in 33 games and adding another 15 points during playoff competition before his team’s elimination. An injury sustained during Penguins practice postponed his return until January 2017 when he rejoined Charlottetown. Although limited to just 31 games that season, he achieved the highest points-per-game average in the league with a total of 59 points. He concluded his junior tenure as one of Charlottetown’s all-time leading scorers—ranking third in goals and second in total points—and set franchise playoff records for assists and points while tying for most playoff goals scored. In his final postseason appearance, Sprong led the Islanders with 20 points over 12 games before their exit in the third round. Afterwards, he trained with Pittsburgh during their NHL playoff campaign.

Professional

On August 28, 2015, Sprong signed a three-year entry-level contract with Pittsburgh. Impressing team management at training camp, he secured a spot on the Penguins’ opening night roster for the 2015–16 season—becoming the first player drafted in the second round or later to make an immediate roster debut since Brandon Saad in 2011. He made his NHL debut on October 8 against the Dallas Stars and netted his first goal on October 15 versus Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson. Sprong appeared in 18 games for Pittsburgh that season, scoring two goals before being reassigned to Charlottetown for the remainder of his junior season. After completing his QMJHL schedule, he joined Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, contributing seven points over ten playoff games before being recalled as a reserve for Pittsburgh’s postseason run. A shoulder injury sustained during practice required surgical intervention and sidelined him for approximately seven to eight months.

On December 3, 2018, Sprong was traded to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Marcus Pettersson. During the 2018–19 season with Anaheim, he achieved personal bests with 14 goals and a total of 19 points across 47 games. After an underwhelming training camp ahead of the 2019–20 season, he was placed on waivers and assigned to Anaheim’s AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. Tasked with improving his defensive play, Sprong responded by tallying eleven goals and twenty-seven points over thirty-nine contests. He was briefly recalled by Anaheim but managed only two points in eight appearances before returning to San Diego.

On February 24, 2020, Sprong was traded to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Christian Djoos and was assigned to their AHL team, the Hershey Bears. On September 18, 2020, he secured a two-year contract extension worth $1.45 million. Subsequently, on March 21, 2022, he was traded along with two draft selections to the Seattle Kraken for Marcus Johansson.

After remaining unsigned through free agency during summer following his Seattle contract expiration, Sprong rejoined the Kraken on a professional tryout basis for training camp ahead of the 2022–23 season. He later earned a one-year two-way deal on October 3, 2022, and recorded a career-high forty-six points over sixty-six games.

On July 1, 2023, Sprong inked a one-year contract worth $2 million with the Detroit Red Wings where he posted eighteen goals and twenty-five assists across seventy-six games. On July 20, 2024, he agreed to a one-year deal valued at $975,000 with the Vancouver Canucks for the upcoming season. Limited to nine appearances registering three points with Vancouver, Sprong was traded back to Seattle on November 8, 2024.

Following two points over ten games with Seattle during early January of 2025, Sprong was placed on waivers and assigned to their AHL affiliate team—the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Demonstrating impressive offensive production with twenty-five points across nineteen AHL contests, he was traded at the NHL deadline on March 7, 2025 to the New Jersey Devils for a seventh-round pick in the upcoming draft.

As an unrestricted free agent after concluding his North American career segment, Sprong signed a one-year contract with Russian KHL organization HC CSKA Moscow on July 23, 2025.

Personal life

Sprong was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands. His father, Hannie, had a career as a professional hockey player and later served as a team manager within the Dutch hockey system. At the age of seven, Sprong relocated with his family to Canada to further his development in hockey, settling in Île Bizard, Quebec, close to Montreal. Although he maintains Dutch citizenship, he holds permanent resident status in Canada and has submitted an application for Canadian citizenship, which had not been granted as of 2022. To preserve his eligibility for the Canada men's national ice hockey team, Sprong has refrained from international competition and declined opportunities to play for the Dutch national team.

He is notable as the third NHL player born in the Netherlands; earlier players Ed Kea and Ed Beers were also raised in Canada.

In 2023, during the 2023 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix weekend, racing driver Zachary Claman DeMelo accused Sprong of assaulting him at a nightclub.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2011–12	Deux-Rives Dauphins Bantam AA	LSLBAA		19	30	8	38	32		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights Bantam	AYBHL		11	9	23	32	24		4	7	4	11	4
2012–13	Lac St-Louis Tigres Espoir	QMEAA		30	48	56	104	36		3	5	3	8	0
2013–14	Charlottetown Islanders	QMJHL		67	30	38	68	20		4	4	1	5	0
2014–15	Charlottetown Islanders	QMJHL		68	39	49	88	18		10	7	4	11	6
2015–16	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		18	2	0	2	0		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Charlottetown Islanders	QMJHL		33	16	30	46	22		12	4	11	15	12
2015–16	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	AHL		—	—	—	—	—		10	5	2	7	2
2016–17	Charlottetown Islanders	QMJHL		31	32	27	59	29		12	9	11	20	17
2017–18	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	AHL		65	32	33	65	28		3	1	0	1	0
2017–18	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		8	2	1	3	0		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		16	0	4	4	0
2018–19	Anaheim Ducks	NHL		47	14	5	19	10
2019–20 AHL season	San Diego Gulls	AHL		39	11	16	27	24
2019–20 NHL season	Anaheim Ducks	NHL		8	1	1	2	0
2019–20	Hershey Bears	AHL		5	1	5	6	2
2020–21 NHL season	Washington Capitals	NHL		42	13	7	20	12		3	0	1	1	4
2021–22 NHL season	Washington Capitals	NHL		47	8	6	14	8
2021–22	Seattle Kraken	NHL		16	6	0	6	0
2022–23 NHL season	Seattle Kraken	NHL		66	21	25	46	14		10	1	1	2	0
2023–24 NHL season	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		76	18	25	43	22
2024–25 NHL season	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		9	1	2	3	2
2024–25	Seattle Kraken	NHL		10	1	1	2	0
2024–25 AHL season	Coachella Valley Firebirds	AHL		19	11	14	25	6
2024–25	New Jersey Devils	NHL		11	0	2	2	0		1	0	0	0	0
NHL totals				374	87	79	166	68		14	1	2	3	4

Awards and honours

Distinction	Year awarded
QMJHL
All-Rookie Team	2013–14