“I feel really good! »
Posted at 9:49 p.m.
It is by launching this sentence that Shane Wright took place on the stool of the small podium, located somewhere in one of the corridors of the Bell Center. About an hour earlier, the Canadian had unveiled in front of everyone his first choice, the first of this draft, and it was not Wright’s name that had been spoken at the microphone.
At the time, we thought we read a bit of disappointment on the face of the young man. But there, at this precise moment, behind this small podium and with his Seattle Kraken cap screwed on his head, his jersey on his back, Wright did not look disappointed.
On the contrary.
“Obviously, we always want to be the very first choice, he began by saying. Of course I would have liked to be the first. But I’m very happy…”
Of course all that, this little tumble from rung 1 to rung 4, this sweater that no one had predicted for him, of course that will serve as his motivation.
“I will definitely play with the energy of the guy who wants to prove things,” he added. I’m the type to always want to push myself anyway, but still, I think it’s going to add to my motivational reasons!
“Teams look first to find players who fill a need. The Canadian made a trade to obtain a center player [Kirby Dach]then I can not be disappointed […] It was their decision, it’s out of my control and it doesn’t disappoint me. […] Of course I imagined myself to be the first here, in addition to the city of the Canadian. But as I said, I will use it as a source of motivation. »
We came back to the charge, five times rather than one: but really, you’re not disappointed? He put on the same smile every time.
“I can’t be disappointed, because I just got drafted by an NHL team! So it’s not that I was relieved, or anything like that. For me, it’s just an honor to be able to be chosen to play in this league. The Kraken have a good young team with a bright future too. »
Just a few feet away, but a little more to the right, another prospect targeted by the Canadiens, American center Logan Cooley, was beaming with his Arizona Coyotes jersey, a gift he had just obtained in because of his selection in third place in this draft.
“I was a little nervous at first when the management of the Canadiens came on stage to announce their choice, he observed. But I’m very happy to be a Coyote now. »
The second choice, that of the New Jersey Devils, was another Slovak player, this one by the name of Šimon Nemec, a good acquaintance of Juraj Slafkovský, incidentally.
“I’m happy to be drafted second overall after a guy I know well,” he explained. We often played together since the pee-wee ranks, and later at the World Championship. It’s a good day for Slovak hockey. »
And while Slafkovský was going back and forth in the corridors of the Bell Center, waiting for him to be on all the TV stations and all the radio stations, the other hopefuls were all a little behind, also answering questions, far fewer questions.
Which didn’t seem to bother Shane Wright.
“It’s the kind of draft where no one really could know what was going to happen, philosophized the young man. But whatever, because I couldn’t be happier…”