Daniel Sprong said on Saturday evening that he didn’t belong in the American Hockey League, and after two games it’s difficult to argue with the man.
On Sunday, for the second time in 24 hours, the longtime NHL veteran scored a game-winning goal for the Coachella Valley Firebirds. This time it was in a 5-2 win over the Chicago Wolves.
On Saturday, in his first AHL game since 2018, Sprong scored the game-winning goal against the Wolves after clearing waivers and essentially being demoted from the NHL’s Seattle Kraken.
In two games with the Firebirds, Sprong has three goals and an assist, and he’s helped Coachella Valley to a 4-1 record since the calendar turned to 2025.
With Jani Nyman and Lleyton Roed each notching three goals over the last five games, Brandon Biro recording two and five others also finding the back of the net during that stretch, the surge to start the new year has been anything but a one-man effort.
But Sprong and the return of Czech teenage sensation Eduard Šalé on Sunday was a massive boost to a Firebirds offense that was without captain Max McCormick, who had recently returned from an injury that kept him out for three weeks. Assistant captain John Hayden, who was recently recalled by the Kraken, was also absent.
Forward Jacob Melanson, who had not played since Nov. 2 because of an undisclosed injury, returned with Šalé to the lineup on Sunday. Šalé, 19, had not played since Dec. 18, as he led Czechia to a bronze medal in the world junior championships.
On Sunday, rookie netminder Nikke Kokko recoded his 11th win of the season, moving the 20-year-old’s record to a staggering 11-2-1-0 this season. Kokko finished the game with 33 saves.
For the game, the Firebirds were 2-of-3 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.
Sprong, a 27-year-old with 363 NHL games under his belt, is a free agent this summer and is playing for his next NHL contract. It remains unclear if he’ll spend the remainder of the season with the Firebirds or if he’ll eventually be recalled by the Kraken.
First period
1-0, Wolves. Aleksi Heimosalmi scored first, at the 9:42 mark of the period, on a shot that made its way through a pack of four Coachella Valley players in front of the net.
1-1. Logan Morrison scored his sixth goal of the season on a power play goal at the 17:28 mark of the period to even the score. Morrison rebounded his own shot and scored on his second attempt. Brandon Biro and Ben Meyers assisted on the goal.
Second period
2-1, Wolves. Nick Swaney scored his first goal of the season at the 1:58 mark of the period to give Chicago its second lead of the game.
2-2. At the 7:35 mark, the puck bounced off Brandon Biro on a rebound from a shot by Šalé and found the back of the net to tie the game once again.
3-2. Sprong scored just a minute after Biro, on a jaw-dropping shot just inside the blue line, to give the Firebirds their first lead of the game.
Third period
4-2. Ben Meyers scored on a power play at the 4:40 mark of the period. Morrison and Biro assisted on the play.
5-2. Roed added a rare short-handed empty net goal, on an assist from his goalie, at the 11:55 mark for good measure.
“The Captain”: You’ve probably heard about the sandwiches at Baby’s Marché named after former or current Firebirds’ players Chris Driedger, Andrew Poturalski, John Hayden and Gustav Olofsson. The Indian Wells eatery will introduce a “limited time only” sandwich named for McCormick this week.
The Captain, it’s called, is a roast beef sandwich with black truffle aioli, provolone cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, lettuce and balsamic glaze, with black truffle shaved on top. Chef Justin Snyder, who owns the shop, said that McCormick — a Green Bay, Wisconsin native — had input on the sandwich.
“We had to really make it pop off with fresh winter truffles,” Snyder said.
Donate to help efforts in LA: The Firebirds, through their One Valley Foundation, have donated $10,000 to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation (LAFDF) in the wake of the wildfires that have ravaged the Los Angeles area. During Sunday’s game, the team invited any fans willing to help to donate to the LAFDF.
The Firebirds return to the ice Thursday with a home game against the Henderson Silver Knights. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
Andrew John covers the Firebirds for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.
