Career
Sprong was selected by the Penguins in the second round (46th overall) of the 2015 National Hockey League Entry Draft after playing two seasons with the Charlottetown Islanders of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), and made the Penguins immediately after being drafted. Born in the Netherlands, Sprong moved to Canada with his family in 2005 in order to further his hockey career. Though a Dutch citizen, Sprong has declined to play internationally for the Dutch national team in hopes of playing for the Canadian national team instead.
Junior
Sprong first played hockey as a young child in his hometown of Amsterdam.
Due to the lack of a developed hockey program in the Netherlands, at ages four and five Sprong played on teams with players as old as twelve or thirteen. In order to help further Sprong"s development in hockey, his family moved to Île Bizard, Quebec in Canada, in 2005.
Foreign the 2011-2012 season, however, Sprong joined the Wilkes-Barrie/Scranton Knights, a Pennsylvania-based travelling team Back in Quebec the following season, with the Lac Street-Louis Tigres, Sprong set the Quebec Midget Espoir Associate of Arts league (the second-tier league in Quebec.
As a non-citizen Sprong was ineligible to play in the top tier) scoring record with 104 points in 30 games.
He was then selected thirteenth overall by the Charlottetown Islanders in the 2013 QMJHL Entry Draft, and joined the team for the 2013-2014 QMJHL season. He led the Islanders in scoring with 68 points in 67 games and his outstanding play was recognized when he was named to the 2013-2014 QMJHL All-Rookie Team. The following season Sprong again led the Islanders in scoring, and was twelfth overall in the QMJHL, with 88 points.
He was also invited to take part in the 2015 CHL/National Hockey League Top Prospects Game.
In the National Hockey League Central Scouting Bureau"s final list of players for the draft, Sprong was listed as the 20th best North American skater. He was ultimately selected in the second round, 46th overall, by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Professional
Sprong signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Penguins on August 28, 2015. After impressing Penguins" management at training camp, Sprong made the Penguins opening roster for the 2015-2016 season.
In doing so, Sprong became the first player taken in the second round or later to make the opening night roster immediately after being drafted since Brandon Saad in 2011.
His first game was on October 8 against the Dallas Stars. Sprong recorded his first goal on October 15, his fourth game, against Ottawa Senators goalie Craig Anderson. Sprong played 18 games for the Penguins, scoring two goals, before the team decided to send him back to Charlottetown for the remainder of the season.
Sprong was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
His father, Hannie, was a professional hockey player in the Netherlands during the early 1990s and later managed a team there. At the age of seven Sprong moved from the Netherlands to Canada with his family in order to help develop his hockey career.
The family settled in Île Bizard, Quebec, a community near Montreal. Sprong remains a Dutch citizen but has applied for Canadian citizenship.
As of 2015 he had still not received lieutenant
As a result Sprong has not participated in any international tournaments, as he has declined to play for the Dutch national team, preferring to remain eligible for the Canadian national team
