Ryan Sproul: Leading by Example
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Ryan Sproul is leading by example at the 2014 NHL Prospect Tournament in Traverse City, MI. The big defenseman notched the Red Wings game tying goal leading to the eventual 6-5 victory over the St. Louis Blues in the Wings opening game.
“I am an older guy now,” he said. “I think it’s my third or fourth camp now so I am definitely trying to be a leader out there. It’s just a learning process and I remember the older guys helping me when I was new, so now its my turn.”
The 6-foot-4, 205 pound defenseman had a successful rookie season playing 72 games for Grand Rapids and notching 11 goals and 32 points. Sproul finished second on the team to Adam Almquist in defense scoring and he logged key minutes in all situations for the Griffins.
“Sproully I thought had a real good first year last year,” Griffins head coach Jeff Blashill said. “It’s a tough transition to professional hockey especially at the defense position. It can be the hardest and I thought he did a real good job.”
The former CHL defenseman of the year was rewarded for his play with a late season call-up to Detroit for one game against the St. Louis Blues. Sproul, who saw 18:25 in ice time, had no points on three shots.
“It was more about getting it the first on over,” he said. “Once you get out there, the nerves turned into energy pretty quickly so that was a good feeling.”
Sproul is one of several up and coming defensive prospects that includes Mattias Backman, Alexey Marchenko, Nick Jensen and Xavier Ouellet. While the organizational depth could seem daunting, the 21 year-old seems to thrive on it.
“We’ve had good competition [in Grand Rapids] for a while now,” he said. “Now with adding Backman it’s going to be a real battle, but I am ready for it.”
Sproul isn’t banking on spending the year in Grand Rapids just yet, however. He’s hoping a strong prospect tournament and training camp will make roster decisions tough on the coaching staff.
“If I can take some ones job that’s my goal,” Sproul said. “It’s not just about earning a future call-up. I want to find my way on the team.”
The big blueliner is one of the few right-handed defensemen in the organization and he could get a long look when training camp opens next week after a disappointing offseason saw the Red Wings fail to land any defensive help through free agency. Sproul, who is known for his offensive prowress, has worked tirelessly on his defensive game the past few seasons.
“I want to show I am versatile,” he said. “I’ve worked on improving my defensive zone play, but I don’t want to change my style of play. I’m never going to be a defensive defenseman.”