Almost every hockey player's journey to the game's grandest stage is filled with tales of parental sacrifice, of moms and dads whisking children away to early morning practices in driving snowstorms (there's always a blizzard), countless hours of knee hockey in hotel hallways and tens of thousands of dollars spent on out-of-state tournaments.
And then there is Daniel Sprong.
The Penguins rookie's backstory is next-level stuff.
"For sure, it's crazy," Sprong told me the other day. "But I really appreciate what my parents did for me, gave me an opportunity."
Not only did Sandra and Hannie, himself a frustrated former hockey player, pull up stakes in their native Netherlands, they did so when Daniel was 7 years old to seek better competition for their prodigious son in Montreal, the Mecca of hockey.
"People just told my parents, 'He has some talent, you should give it a try if he wants to become a hockey player, you can't stay in Amsterdam,'" Daniel continued. "So we went to Montreal to try it out for a year. We enjoyed it and hockey was going good, life was going good. So we never left."
Indeed, life is good for Sprong these days.
With a two-goal, three-point night last week against the Islanders, Sprong exceeded his 2015 rookie production -- two points in 18 games -- in just his second game since being recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Hailing from a country where soccer, speedskating and swimming are king, Sprong is the only Dutchman currently in the NHL. But that's not what stands out on the ice.
It's his shot. It's this shot:
And, most recently, this one:
"Just something I've worked on since I was little, shooting pucks in the garden," Sprong said. "Shooting every year, every day in the summer time, even back home. I still do that in the summer. It's just something I’ve always worked on. Happy to have it in the tool box."
He's a natural goal scorer who has consistently found the back of the net at every level, including 69 goals in 135 games for Charlottetown in the QMJHL and 18 goals in 29 games for Wilkes-Barre this season. It's that laser beam of a shot with such a quick release that made the Penguins invest their first pick (46th overall) in the 2015 draft on Sprong.
It's that shot that a fan base has been salivating to see on a team that is tied for 29th in 5-on-5 scoring and, despite the most lethal power play in the league, is still a minus-12 in goal differential.
And if Sprong's release looks familiar to another teammate's, it should.
"Sometimes you don't know how he gets it off like that: It's quick and it’s hard," said Conor Sheary. "It’s a lot like Phil (Kessel's). I think he can score from a lot of areas on the ice."
Like Kessel, another right-handed shot, Sprong uses a whippy stick with plenty of flex in it to help propel pucks with greater velocity. Sprong's stick has a toe curve with only the hook at the end taped in white, something he says he's "messed with" over the summer.
"For me, it's just letting the stick do the work, and really use my technique for my shot," Sprong said. "I think it just goes from there."
Where the Penguins go from here -- the two-time defending Cup champs are 22-19-3 with 47 points and sit precariously in the eighth and final playoff spot -- could depend a lot on Sprong.
No pressure, eh?
But in each of the past two seasons the Penguins have been aided by youngsters who have made immediate and significant contributions at the NHL level. In 2015-16 it was Sheary and Bryan Rust, last year it was Jake Guentzel.
"The management and scouting staff do a good job," Guentzel said. "When you are picked by this organization, you know they want to play with speed and play a fun game. When you get a chance to play here, it’s a lot of fun."
Were it not for defensive lapses in his game, Sprong might have been recalled even sooner. A shoulder injury in the spring of 2016 limited Sprong to just 31 games in Charlottetown last season.
"I've matured on and off the ice," Sprong said. "As a human being, going from 18 to 20 is a big difference."
This year the organization opted to let Sprong spend half a season in the AHL to let his 200-foot game mature. Admittedly, Sprong says he has to find the right mix between offense and defense. Guentzel and Sheary believe that part of his game will come to him, saying it's a bit of an adjustment. The speed and skill of the NHL better suits Sprong's game than the more physical AHL, where minor-league players are more than eager to show scouts their toughness in every corner.
"When he was playing down there, he’s one of the top players in the league, you get all the ice time and stuff like that," Sheary said. "When you come up here, you kind of have to embrace your opportunity. And when you get your opportunity, just work hard and take advantage of those situations."
"I think you have to pick up on (the defenses), just how everyone’s sticks are so good," Guentzel said. "In the NHL, everyone’s good. You have to be really good all over the ice."
Through five games -- a small sample size, to be sure -- Sprong hasn't made many gaffes, but rookie errors are inevitable:
Over the last two games, Mike Sullivan has rewarded Sprong by placing him on the top line -- for now -- with Sidney Crosby and fellow rookie Dominik Simon, spots previously held by Guentzel and Sheary. Sid and the Kids have given rise to Sid and the New Kids.
So far the results are encouraging. Crosby has delivered seven points (a goal and six assists) in the last two games, not coincidentally a pair of wins, Pittsburgh's first two-game winning streak in over a month.
"When a guy comes in with that urgency, you can't replace that," Crosby said of his new linemates. "I'm not getting any faster, either. It helps to have young speed, young legs."
Whether Sprong is the long-term answer to a decade-long question -- who will be the Kurri to Crosby's Gretzky or, if you prefer, the Jagr to Crosby's Lemieux -- remains to be seen. What is known is that Sprong is in Pittsburgh and it looks like he'll be here for a while to come.
That, Sprong says, is his only goal.
"I just try to play my game and take it day by day," he said. "I know what kind of player I am."
