Julien Sprunger

Julien Sprunger ( born January 4, 1986 in Grolley ) is a Swiss ice hockey player for Fribourg- Gottéron in the Swiss National League A is playing on the position of the right winger since 2002.

  • 3.1 International

Career

Born in Grolley Sprunger joined already in the junior age in the youth department of the nearby clubs Fribourg- Gottéron. In the season 2002/ 03 the then 16 - year-old striker played for the elite juniors of the club and made with 40 scorer points in 24 games noticed. In the rest of the season he came to his debut in the first team of the club, which was located in the National League A. Overall, he completed two games for the team of the Russian coach Evgeny Popichin. In the following season Sprunger was active for the elite juniors, but established himself in the course of the year under new coach Mike McParland in the A- team. In 46 encounters, including the play-offs the young attacker came on five points scorer.

Sprungers talent had not gone unnoticed by the Scouts of the North American National Hockey League and he was selected in the summer as part of the NHL Entry Draft in 2004 in the fourth round at 117th position from the Minnesota Wild. For the season 2004 /05 he was finally an integral part of the squad of Fribourg- Gottéron. He arrived on 41 season games in which he more than tripled his previous yield and had flashed his qualities as a scorer. In addition, he completed a game at the partner HC La Chaux -de-Fonds in the National League B. In the following years, Sprunger continuously developed and always scored more than 20 points scorer. The final breakthrough finally succeeded in the 2007/ 08 season. With 47 points, including 27 goals, in 49 games, he finished though only 14th place in the rating scorer in the league, but he led the team of coach Serge Pelletier for the first time since 2004 in the play-offs. In five games, he oversaw at three points. This earned him the appointment as the Most Valuable Player of the National League A. The power he confirmed the following year with 46 points scorer and another ten in as many play-off games.

Due to a serious injury to the spine, which he had contracted as part of the 2009 World Cup, the attacker turned out for large parts of the season 2009/10. Never been so few in a season in the seniors - As the only striker could return in mid-November 2009 in the play mode, he graduated in the course of the season only 35 games, including the play-offs. With 32 points, but he confirmed the benefits before his injury. The same he succeeded in the season 2010/11. For the 2011/12 season Sprunger was appointed under new coach Hans Kossmann as assistant captain.

Internationally

Sprunger played both Junior and Senior level for his country.

For the first time he took part in the U18 World Youth Championship Division I in 2004 and managed there with the U18 selection of Switzerland sovereign promotion to the top division. Sprunger was involved in nine of the 35 Swiss tournament goals. Seven of them he scored himself He was top scorer in the Division Group A and the second best scorer of the tournament behind the Austrian Raphael Rotter. In the years 2005 and 2006 he played in the U20 World Junior Championships for his country. In both years, the Confederates managed with the U20 selection each time the league, with Sprunger in 2006 had significant than within the team 's third- best scorer share of it.

Since 2007 Sprunger belongs to the cadres of the Swiss national ice hockey team, and participated in the World Championships in Russia in 2007, 2008 in Canada, 2009 in Switzerland and 2011 in Slovakia in part. In addition, the forward played at the Olympic Winter Games 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. He reached for the Swiss national tournament in eighth place after they had lost the quarter-finals against the United States 0-2. The best finish at the World Championships was a seventh place finish at the World Championships in 2008.

As part of the 2009 World Cup Sprunger suffered a serious injury. In the intermediate round match against the United States, he was of David Backes - to get back on their feet during the test after a previous body check - checked into the boards and was motionless brought the ice. The result was an operation on the fourth and fifth cervical vertebrae, due to which he missed large parts of the NLA 2009/10 season.

Awards and achievements

  • 2004 promotion to the top division at the U18 Junior World Championship Division I
  • 2004 Best scorer in the U18 Junior World Championship Division I, Group A
  • 2008 Most Valuable Player of the National League A

Career Stats

Internationally

Represented Switzerland at:

  • U18 World Junior Championships Division I 2004
  • U20 World Junior Championships 2005
  • U20 Junior World Cup 2006
  • World Cup 2007
  • World Cup 2008
  • World Cup 2009
  • 2010 Winter Olympics
  • World Cup 2011

( Key to Career statistics: Sp or GP = Games Played, T or G = goals scored, V or A = achieved assists; Pts or Pts = scored points scorer, SM or PIM = received penalty minutes, / - = Plus / Minus balance sheet; PP = scored majority gates; SH = scored shorthanded goals, GW = achieved victory gates; Play-downs/Relegation 1 ); 1 Play-downs/Relegation

2004 NHL Entry Draft 2002–03 Nationalliga A season 2003–04 Nationalliga A season Scout (Sport) 2004–05 Nationalliga A season 2007–08 NLA season 2008–09 NLA season 2009 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships 2009–10 NLA season 2010–11 NLA season 2011–12 NLA season 2004 IIHF World U18 Championships 2005 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships 2006 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships Switzerland men's national junior ice hockey team 2008 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships 2011 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships Ice hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Men's tournament 2005–06 Nationalliga A season 2006–07 National League A season Point (ice hockey) Plus/Minus 2012–13 NLA season Benjamin Conz Timo Helbling Joel Kwiatkowski Sandy Jeannin Greg Mauldin Antti Miettinen Thibaut Monnet Marc-Antoine Pouliot
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