Shane Wright has a message for the three teams who passed him over on draft night
Shane Wright was ranked a the number 1 overall prospect for much of the season. On draft night he didn't just slip one slot he fell three. He let the media know he will be starting his NHL career with a chip on his shoulder.
Wright was raised in Kingston, just a few hours from Montreal. He said earlier this week that Montreal was
«where I want to be.»
There had to be a sting when Habs GM Kent Hughes called Juraj Slafkovský as their 1st pick.Wright kept his head held high. He did his best to stay positive and have some perspective.
"I was drafted by an NHL franchise, I was drafted by team with a lot of potential into a great city with a great fan base. Obviously you want to go first. It's definitely something every guy wants to do going into the Draft. But I couldn't be happier with being in Seattle, being a Kraken and really excited about the future ahead.»
"Definitely going to have a little chip on my shoulder from this for sure. Definitely a little more motivation. I've always been self motivated, pushing myself internally, but this is going to give me a little more fire for sure.»
"Definitely going to have a little chip on my shoulder from this for sure. Definitely a little more motivation. I've always been self motivated, pushing myself internally, but this is going to give me a little more fire for sure.»
Wright shared his thoughts on why he thought the fell from 1 to 4. It had a lot to do with every team's fit from a hockey perspective. The Devils, picking second, already have co-No. 1 overall picks Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier up the middle, while the Arizona Coyotes were in desperate need of a truly dynamic, high-ceiling talent, so Logan Cooley made sense for them, too. Maybe Wright was onto something.
He was considered far and away the safest pick in the draft given his brainy all-around game and commitment to two-way play as a center. There were questions among scouts about his ceiling. He never reached the heights that were promised when, in 2019, he became the sixth player to earn
exceptional status and play in the OHL as an underager. He also didn't dominate in his draft year the way scouts want a top overall pick to, something he acknowledged.
exceptional status and play in the OHL as an underager. He also didn't dominate in his draft year the way scouts want a top overall pick to, something he acknowledged.
"Not even close – this year was nowhere near my best. I can be a lot better. I believe I haven't reached even close to my potential. I've got a lot of work to do. I made a lot of mistakes this year, had some failures and faced a lot of adversity with myself and my game. But I think I'm still growing as a player, I'm still learning a lot about myself, a lot about my game and how to be the best player I can be. That's definitely something I want to improve on for sure.»
Getting to play for the NHL's newest franchise there is a going to be ample opportunity for Wright to get tons of minutes next season to begin to prove the doubters wrong.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 9 | 341 ANSWERS Shane Wright has a message for the three teams who passed him over on draft night Which team will regret not drafting Shane Wright most? | ||
| Montreal Canadiens | 175 | 51.3 % |
| New Jersey Devils | 52 | 15.2 % |
| Arizona Coyotes | 114 | 33.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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