Every NHL team has that one player that immediately comes to mind when you think of their team, and usually it’s the captain. Examples like Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Gabriel Landeskog, Anže Kopitar, Steven Stamkos, and Anders Lee come to mind. However, when most fans think of the Minnesota Wild, Kirill Kaprizov’s name pops up.
Their captain, Jared Spurgeon, often flies under the radar, which seems to be how he prefers it. He performs well under pressure, but when he’s left alone to play his game, he thrives. Of course, every captain demands attention; that’s just how it is, but Spurgeon is one of the few who can hide in plain sight, and we’ll explain more as this article moves along.
Spurgeon Surprises as Choice for Captain
Spurgeon is an interesting case when it comes to his captaincy. He’s not the most significant player or the highest scorer, but he’s a strong and capable defenseman who loves to join the offense when possible. The key word is opportunity; if he feels jumping into the play could leave his goaltender vulnerable, he won’t do it, even when it seems like a perfect chance. Captains are typically the high scorers or the most touted player on the team, but the Wild haven’t followed that path in their 20-plus year existence and didn’t stray away from it when they chose Spurgeon.
He’s just the second full-time captain in Wild history, taking the reins from Mikko Koivu. While Spurgeon may not have been everyone’s first choice in taking Koivu’s “C,” especially with his small size, he was the best for the job and has been since. He’s only been captain for about three and a half seasons, but he’s shown vital areas of leadership and some areas to improve, like every captain.
Spurgeon’s Numbers Lead by Example
Spurgeon’s numbers before he became a captain were impressive, but after he became a captain, his offensive game improved as well. He didn’t break his career season of 43 points in 2018-19, but he came close with 40 points in 2021-22. He had a slight drop last season to 34 points, but he more than made up for it with his blocked shots.
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While Spurgeon has an offensive side, his main priority is his defense, which means blocking shots. He led the team with 179 blocks, 24 more than second-place Jake Middleton, and the most he’s ever contributed in a season. The last time he had more than 150 blocks in a season was 2015-16, so he took a step forward last season. Whether that had to do with wearing the “C” or not, it’s great for the younger players to see.
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Another area that Spurgeon contributes, and new players can take notes on, is his special teams. He doesn’t spend much time on the power play but is consistently used on the penalty kill. He’s a top penalty killer, but he doesn’t get much credit for it and again goes unnoticed as far as the league is concerned. While that won’t stop him from continuing to play his best, not every aspect of his game is perfect.
Spurgeon Has Areas to Improve
Spurgeon is the type of captain who leads by example but not vocally, which may be something he can do better in the future. Sometimes, a team needs to see their captain get angry and yell, not necessarily at the referees or players, but show some frustration constructively.
He let that frustration out in a harmful way during the 2022 postseason when he cross-checked the ankle of Pavel Buchnevich and barely avoided a suspension. He’s known as one of the most gentlemanly players in the league, but at that moment, he faltered. As a captain, that can’t happen. Understandably, every player has a breaking point, but captains are held to a higher standard, and they must uphold that.
However, they’re also allowed to make mistakes; if that’s the only one he makes, it can be forgiven. In the future, he has to keep his anger in check but find a way to use his voice more. An energized captain can go a long way in giving a team the needed boost. While he goes pretty unnoticed in the league, his team may not notice him if he stays quiet all the time.
Those two things may seem insignificant, but they can go a long way in influencing a team. Every player can always find ways to improve, which also goes for captains. Spurgeon must continue leading with his voice if they want to win. More emotion can go a long way, whether encouragement after a goal or a frustrating yell after a mistake.
Spurgeon’s Future
Spurgeon’s career is well underway, but his captaincy has barely begun. He’s already proven he can be a strong captain and lead by example. He needs to continue to do so but improve some minor aspects of his leadership, such as more voice and always being composed. If he can do those things, he will have the opportunity to lead this team to many wins and many more seasons of captaincy.
