(Seattle) In five games in the American Hockey League, Shane Wright has scored four goals. Is it likely to happen like that also when he returns to the National League?
“Probably not… but we can hope! “replied the young Kraken striker, laughing, in the Kraken locker room on Monday.
So yes, Shane Wright is back. After this small detour with the Coachella Valley club in the AHL, the 18-year-old player was recalled by the Kraken, and he will be in uniform for the club’s next game.
Happy chance of life, this next match will be played here on Tuesday evening… against the Canadian.
Serendipity, yes, because Wright will always be linked to the Montreal club in some way. He is one of those who should have been chosen but who was not. In this specific case, the Canadian preferred him, as we know, a certain Juraj Slafkovsky, during the last draft. Two other teams also preferred someone else, so Wright found himself plummeting to echelon four.
But he’s not too worried about it, and it’s not the sight of Montreal jerseys that will make him hum The Sound Of Silence on the bench.
“I will try to approach this match as just another match, he said about this meeting with CH. It will be my first since my recall from the American League, and I will try to play with confidence, but I will not believe that it is more special than another meeting. »
Before this break in the other league, the striker had picked up one point in seven games at the Kraken. Meanwhile, Slafkovsky offered 7 points in 19 games at CH.
But Wright doesn’t seem too aware.
“Not really, I don’t think about what he [Slafkovsky] done, he replied. It’s two different situations, so I focus on my own destiny. »
Before coming to answer questions Monday in the Kraken locker room, the young man had spent a lot of overtime on the ice. This taste for a job well done would also be a habit with him, according to his teammate Yanni Gourde.
“He is always among the last to leave the ice,” noted the Quebec forward. He comes back here with the right attitude. He wants to improve, he is humble. At 18, there’s no shame in getting kicked out of the American League. I didn’t feel disappointed when it happened; he was just happy to have the chance to put himself back together, to go there to regain some confidence. »
Dave Hakstol, the Kraken coach, also believes that Wright is on the right track.
“Every young player is different,” he explained on Monday. Players are different in their trajectory, their path and how they are going to go about getting there. But we were very satisfied with Shane, with his work, his way of seeing things. His approach was excellent with us. »
For now, the management of the Kraken is taking its time with him. Nobody here wants to say if he will be added later to the Canadian team for the next World Junior Hockey Championships, presented from December 26. “It’s an option”, was content to answer the main interested party.
In the meantime, there is the immediate, and the immediate is here, Tuesday evening, facing this Canadian who preferred to let him pass last summer.
Nothing special, he repeated.
“I just want to take that confidence back to Seattle with me that I had in the American League,” he added. I know I can make plays here too, and I know I can be competitive in this league…”
Everyone is surprised… but not Yanni Water Bottle
If the NHL playoffs opened today, the Kraken would be in the picture. In fact, before losing their last game, the Kraken had won seven games in a row! But Yanni Gourde is not so overwhelmed by his team’s success. “It’s not a surprise for us, he explained in Seattle on Monday. We want to play well, we’ve been playing good hockey since the beginning of the year. The idea is to be consistent and play well night after night. We also made good acquisitions this summer and our goalkeepers are doing a really good job… Last year, we lost too many close games, and this season, we are winning these games, among other things because we have more power to play. the front.