Shane Wright, who finished fourth in the NHL draft last summer, was sent to the juniors by the Seattle Kraken on Friday.
The move comes a day after Wright led Canada to an overtime victory over the Czech Republic at the IIHF World Youth U-20 Championship. He scored in the victory over the Czech Republic while finishing the tournament with four goals and seven points in the same number of games to help Canada win its 20th title.
Wright, at 19, started the season with the Kraken, but was never able to get consistent playing time. He was sent to the Kraken’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, on a tight spell and scored four goals in five games.
He returned to the Kraken and scored his first goal against the Montreal Canadiens. It became arguably the most anticipated performance of Wright’s career after he thought the Canadiens, who had the first draft pick, would take him, but chose the Slovak winger instead. George Slavkovsky.
Wright’s return to an OHL team, the Kingston Frontenacs, meant that the Kraken would not be able to call him back once Wright’s junior season ended. It also means that Wright will not burn out the first year of his contract, which will come down because he hasn’t reached the required number of games played this season.
Wright had two points in eight games for the Kraken and averaged 8:29 in ice time for a team that could qualify for the playoffs after finishing its inaugural season near the bottom of the NHL standings.
Certified TV addict. Insanely humble zombie ninja. Coffee advocate. Web expert. Problem solver. »
