Simon, Sprong looking to show that they belong
The Czech Republic native made Pittsburgh's 23-man opening-night roster and will be in the lineup when the Penguins host the Washington Capitals on Thursday at PPG Paints Arena.
"It feels unreal, you know?" he said. "It's the first game of the season, so I'm so pumped to start the season and start playing games. Now it's real life, so I'm really excited about it."
After playing in a handful of games his first two seasons, Simon saw his first extended NHL action in his third - appearing in 33 regular-season games for Pittsburgh. The forward collected four goals and 12 points in those contests before recording three assists in eight postseason games.
His line with Derick Brassard and Bryan Rust has arguably been the Penguins' best line this preseason, with head coach Mike Sullivan lauding Simon's ability to make subtle plays, protect the puck and maneuver through traffic.
Their early chemistry has given Simon confidence, and it helps that he's gotten more comfortable with his surroundings the more time he's spent in Pittsburgh over the years.
"It's such a different story after a couple years," said Simon, who turned 24 on Aug. 8. "The first two years you come here you're nervous. But finally you start feeling like you belong here. It feels great. It gives you that calm before the game and while you're fighting for a spot.
"I'm trying to embrace it, trying to enjoy it and have fun. I need to have a good season. I want to show them that I belong here."
That's the same approach Daniel Sprong is taking. It's been three years since he made the 2015-16 opening-night roster, becoming the youngest player to skate for the Penguins since 2005 at 18 years, six months and 21 days.
"There were a lot of nerves, a lot of excitement, of course," Sprong said. "Had friends and family in the building so that was exciting. And just the whole lead-up to it, that whole day, taking your nap and talking to everyone and just seeing the excitement in the room."
He scored twice in 18 games with the Penguins before being returned to his junior team. A lot has happened since, including a serious shoulder injury that had a recovery timetable of seven months. He's shown some impressive offensive prowess at the QMJHL and AHL levels, and is now trying to show that he can translate that to the NHL while also being defensively responsible.
"It's been a crazy three years with the surgery and playing back in juniors and all that," Sprong said. "But I'm excited for opening night tomorrow and it's going to be a good one."
It's been somewhat of a challenging training camp for Sprong. After netting 32 goals last year with WBS - which led the team, ranked second in the AHL and set a new franchise rookie record - he went scoreless in his four exhibition appearances while also dealing with a lower-body injury.
The 21-year-old said he's trying not to put too much pressure on himself going into Thursday night, saying he knows what his strengths are and just has to play to them in order to help his team win. And Sullivan echoed that sentiment after practice on Wednesday.
"He's a very good player," Sullivan said. "We're excited about his potential. We're going to work with him every day to try and help him improve and get better in all aspects of his game. But certainly we're going to try to help him play within himself, because I think that's an important aspect of playing in this league."
