Wright Honing Game In AHL So He'll Stick With NHL Kraken

Canadiens fans and Montreal media retain a fascination for the 2022 NHL Draft, the one in which they selected Sloviakian right wing Juraj Slafkovský instead of Canadian center Shane Wright.

Wright was taken fourth overall by the Seattle Kraken. He's having a solid offensive season with AHL Coachella Valley, 18 goals and 32 points in 43 games. (Wright hasn't played since an open-ice hit by Ozzy Wiesblatt of the San Jose Barracuda on Feb. 15.)

Wright Fine With AHL Apprenticeship

We know Shane remains on the radar of Quebec's hockey fandom because of a lengthy French-language story posted days ago by TVASports.com . The headline: "Wright sur Slafkovsky: Il est là où je veux être." Translation: "Wright on Slafkovsky: 'He's where I want to be.'"

“Slafkovsky is playing very well at the moment,” Wright said in the interview. (Slafkovsky has 12 goals and 30 points in 58 Canadiens games.) "Obviously, he's where I want to be. I want to produce in the NHL. My time will come, I hope. I have to believe in the plan.”

The plan? “They told me they wanted me to spend time in Coachella Valley to get quality minutes there and be a leader,” Wright said.

“I don’t want to be rushed into the NHL. I want to get to the NHL and stay in the NHL. I don't want to go back and forth. If that means more time in the American League, that’s OK.”

Wright, scoring an OT winner above in an earlier game against the Barracuda, also mentioned his improvements in all three zones.

“That’s one of the points (the Kraken) insisted on,” Wright explained. "They want me to keep the puck more often, to carry it through the neutral zone rather than just passing it to a teammate.

"I'm a good skater and they want me to exploit that asset, to have confidence in my skills with the puck."

Wright elaborated on making himself a well-rounded center. "If I want to establish myself in the league at this position, it's something I need to improve.

"I need to kill the play faster in the corners in the defensive zone. I think I have progressed considerably in this area.”

Le Microscope

No translation is necessary for the place Wright will always be under, as the article put it, "Le Microscope."

The elephant in the (draft) room in 2022 - which happened to be Montreal's Bell Centre - was of course referenced in the TVA article.

"His reaction in the stands at the Bell Center, upset and impatiently waiting to be drafted, gave him a certain reputation as a spoiled child. His glance towards the Canadiens table was not better received. Wright, a competitor, had expressed before the draft that he wanted to be the first player selected and that he felt he deserved it."

For his part, Wright says whatever he has termed "negative energy" present that day is far in the past.

“The biggest lesson I learned from all of this is to continue to love what I do every day. To fall in love with the process. That’s what keeps you going.”