CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – Sullivan Sparkes won’t apologize for making enemies from the opposition.
“I like to piss people off,” the Charlottetown Islanders forward admits. “It makes the game more fun for me when I have that edge on my opponent. I try to keep them on their toes, (and) it gives me a lot of energy.”
Sparkes is an in-your-face, scrappy forward who can get under the other team’s skin but also backs up his words with his play.
Head coach Jim Hulton pauses for a moment and then prefaces his next comment about Sparkes by saying it is meant with the utmost respect.
“He’s a greasy player,” he said. “If you play against him you want to knock his head off.”
Sparkes is the classic pest, but one with skill.
Think Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand.
Sparkes also says he models his game around Toronto Maple Leafs centre Nazem Kadri, for his 200-foot game.
“It starts with my work ethic,” he said, when asked to describe his game. “I can create stuff off the rush, I’m good down low, I try to be responsible in my own end, more like a two-way forward who can chip in on the offence as well and stir up some crap.”
Sparkes, who turns 19 on May 4, scored 14 goals during the regular season and has scored in the past two games as the Isles tied their Quebec Major Junior Hockey League semifinal with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada with a pair of home wins heading into tonight’s Game 5 in Boisbriand, Que.
Sparkes offensive contribution comes as no surprise to Hulton.
“He’s a kid that finished second in scoring to (Vegas Golden Knights first-round pick) Nick Suzuki as a minor midget,” the general manger said, noting Sparkes’ 48-goal, 88-point midget season during 62 games in 2014-15. “I don't think you forget how to score.”
Sparkes played 51 games with the OHL’s Oshawa Generals in 2015-16 and 45 games last season. He started this season with the Generals but was limited to mostly a fourth-line role.
Meanwhile on the East Coast, Hulton and his charges were on their way back from Sydney, N.S., after falling to 1-6-1-0 on the season when Hulton received a text from his old friend, Steve Spott. The San Jose Sharks assistant coach noted the Isles needed some offence and he might have an answer.
“I almost jumped through the phone,” Hulton said.
Spott was coach of the Kitchener Rangers and Sparkes’ father Brad is the team’s director of sales and marketing.
Sparkes soon was heading for Prince Edward Island after talking with the GM in mid-October.
“I wasn’t guaranteed anything, but he gave me a chance and I felt like I’ve taken advantage of it,” Sparkes said. “Now that I’m here in Charlottetown I have more confidence and am able to find that scoring touch that I know I have.”
Hulton couldn't be happier.
“He’s scored big, big goals for us,” he said. “He seems to have a knack for rising to the occasion.”
The Islanders have had different guys each night wear the “hero’s cape,” as Hulton put it, as they have gone as deep as the franchise ever has in the playoffs. It has meant some nights guys like Sparkes are playing more minutes than others. Somehow the team has managed to continue plugging along with everyone pulling in the same direction without individuals putting themselves ahead of the team.
It seems easy to say, but it’s not always easy to do in sport.
“It’s tough some nights,” an honest Sparkes admitted. “You want to be out 16, 17, 20 minutes every night, but you have to understand some nights you’re just not going and other players are playing better and you have to accept that and you just have to get back to work in practice that week.”
Hulton knows it isn’t always easy for youngsters who want to contribute. He appreciates the resiliency his group has shown and the willingness to fill whatever role given to them while buying into the team concept. He said Sparkes has earned everything he has received this season.
“I admire his tenacity,” he said. “In our game, we pigeonhole kids . . . and write them off too early.”
He’s earned the trust of the coaching staff and hopes to have found a home to continue to grow his game for the next couple of seasons.
“Hopefully, I can continue to be a contributing member of this club over the next few years.”
Need to know
Sullivan Sparkes
Who – An 18-year-old forward for the Charlottetown Islanders.
Personal – A five-foot-11, 185-pound forward from Waterloo, Ont., who has played both on the wing and in the middle.
Did you know? Sullivan’s grandparents, Don and Lily Sparkes, are from Clarenville, N.L. “I was pretty excited to come out here and see the East Coast,” he said.
Statistics
Regular season
GP G A Pts.
60 14 15 29
Playoffs
15 4 0 4
