The Seattle Kraken have signed forward Daniel Sprong to a professional tryout, CapFriendly reported Tuesday.
Sprong, 25, split the 2021–22 season between the Washington Capitals and Seattle, scoring 14 goals and 20 points in 63 games. The Kraken acquired Sprong and two draft picks from the Capitals at the 2022 trade deadline in exchange for Marcus Johansson.
The Pittsburgh Penguins originally selected Sprong in the second round (No. 46 overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft. The 6’0″, 193-pound winger spent parts of three seasons with the Penguins before being traded to the Anaheim Ducks in 2018 for Marcus Pettersson.
After spending most of the 2019–20 season in the American Hockey League, Sprong joined the Washington Capitals the following year and finally emerged as a full-time NHL player. The Amsterdam product scored 13 goals and 20 points in 42 games with the Capitals in 2020–21.
Sprong took on a bigger role after joining the Kraken down the stretch in 2021–22, scoring six goals, firing 51 shots, and averaging 13:42 in 16 games.
In 202 career games with Pittsburgh, Anaheim, Washington, and Seattle, Sprong has scored 46 goals and 70 points. He’s the first player confirmed to be attending Kraken camp on a professional tryout this year.
Despite not being tendered a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent from the Kraken after the 2021–22 season, Kraken will again vie for a spot in a crowded Seattle forward lineup. His most likely competition will be Karson Kuhlman, Kole Lind, John Hayden, and Ryan Donato.
CapFriendly also announced forward Nate Thompson and goaltender Christopher Gibson have agreed to tryouts with the Los Angeles Kings and Arizona Coyotes, respectively.
Thompson, 37, is a veteran forward who appeared in 33 games with the Philadelphia Flyers last season, scoring one goal and three points. Gibson, 29, is a journeyman goaltender who went 7–5–2 with a .907 save percentage in 14 AHL games with the 2021–22 Charlotte Checkers.
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