Shane Wright is about to face the team that passed on him with the first overall pick at the NHL Entry Draft.
Although the Seattle Kraken forward was sent down to the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds on a conditioning loan less than a month ago, he was recalled to the NHL on Monday, and is expected to suit up against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.
The #SeaKraken have recalled F Shane Wright from his conditioning loan with Coachella Valley (AHL). pic.twitter.com/SqznobSSVr
— Seattle Kraken PR (@SeattleKrakenPR) December 5, 2022
Before the draft, the 18-year-old was the long-time favourite for the first overall selection among fans and analysts. The Canadiens famously used their selection of Slovakian forward Juraj Slafkovsky instead.
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To add insult to injury, both the New Jersey Devils and Arizona Coyotes passed on Wright, allowing him to be selected fourth overall by Seattle. As he climbed up on the Bell Centre stage to greet his new team, Wright was rumoured to have stared down the Canadiens’ draft table, which featured the likes of Kent Hughes, Jeff Gorton and Vincent Lecavalier.
In the weeks that followed, Wright told reporters he was using the disappointing turn of events as motivation. “I’m definitely gonna have a chip on my shoulder from this for sure. Definitely a little more motivation,” Wright told reporters. “I’ve always been self-motivated. Always been pushing myself internally, but it’s definitely going to give me a little more fire, for sure.”
Now, Wright will get his chance to show the Canadiens organization what they passed on
The Burlington, Ontario native only registered one point in seven games with the Kraken this year. In his five-game stint in the minors, the rookie netted four goals with the Firebirds.
Meanwhile, Slafkovsky has registered four goals and seven points with the Canadiens so far.
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