When the Seattle Kraken arrived in Montreal, they probably didn’t think they would be making this pick. Shane Wright is the fourth-overall selection and will join the NHL’s newest franchise.
Captain of the Kingston Frontenacs, Wright is coming off a season in which he scored 32 goals and 94 points in 63 games, an impressive total considering he started slow after missing the entire 2020-21 campaign when the OHL canceled the season because of COVID-19 restrictions.
It was in late 2018 that Wright applied for CHL exceptional status, which would allow him to enter the major junior league a year early. He wouldn’t turn 15 for another month, and wouldn’t be granted the status for another three, but there was already a momentum growing for the young center from Burlington, Ontario.
When he was just 13, top NHL player agents had lined up to advise him through the process, knowing that there was a potential star in the making. By the time he made his OHL debut in the 2019-20 season, he was already the odds-on favorite for the top spot in 2022, and he didn’t disappoint. As a rookie, he not only scored 39 goals in 58 games, snapping the puck past goaltenders from all angles but Wright was also named an alternate captain for Kingston, the youngest in team history.
The scene was set for him to follow in the footsteps of other exceptional players, including Connor McDavid, John Tavares, and Aaron Ekblad, who had all been taken at the top of their respective drafts as well. When he was granted the status, he was still comparing himself to Mathew Barzal, focusing on the offensive abilities of the New York Islanders star. Today, he says he would rather model his game after Patrice Bergeron, with defensive ability and the “details” of the game ranking just as importantly.
Having dropped to Seattle, general manager Ron Francis will happily snap up the top prospect and give him the chance to pair with Matty Beniers down the middle to prove those three teams wrong.
Again, [expletive] Francis
Yeah, hate when he drafts the best player in the draft at #4…
I hate it when the best player goes a spot before where my team is picking.
I’ll give you this, Logan Cooley, in my opinion is the best player in the draft. But Wright isn’t far behind. The Kraken got a damn fine player, no doubt about it.
This write up reads like he was selected 1st overall. It appears that PHR is still stunned by his drop.
Yeah, thought so, too. But you’ve got to prepare some text blocks in advance on such a busy day.
Never mind- looking forward to Beniers and Wright in Seattle. Should give the team something to build on after that somewhat confusing expansion draft
Real ones know they put first overall
Hey, Ronny redeemed himself in my eyes a bit with this OUTSTANDING Kraken 2022 Draft…much better than that expansion draft BS(altho I do realize many of these 10 of top 130 picks in this draft was from some of those picks) but I think he’s done a much better job today of building a solid Kraken future than any other day of his employment! Go Kraken!!!
I would rather be a bust at #4 then #1…Go out and prove something KID…