At one time Shane Wright was considered to be the consensus number one pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. Unfortunately for Wright, after some questionable pre-draft interviews the prospect found himself slipping out of the top three on draft night. Instead Wright ended up being selected 4th overall by the Seattle Kraken.
While many felt like Wright was quickly going to become the steal of the Draft, he immediately struggled. After being a healthy scratch for most of last year, Wright was eventually assigned to the AHL for a conditioning stunt. Wright was then loaned to Team Canada's World Junior Team before being sent back to Junior hockey.
Due to his age Wright was not eligible to play in the American Hockey League this season originally. But before the season began he was however granted a special exemption allowing him to play in the league as a 19-year-old. While many expected him to be called up to the NHL early in the year, Seattle had other ideas. After getting 3 games in the NHL in November, Wright was once again assigned the the AHL.
In 56 games with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, Wright has 20 goals and 23 assists. Today his hard work, finally paid off. The Kraken announced the following roster move this afternoon.
With 9 games remaining, Seattle will once again look to get Wright acclimated at the NHL level in hopes that he will finally hit his potential. If Wright plays 7 more games this year he will burn a year of his entry level contract, which makes the next 9 games very interesting to watch.
