Kraken's Shane Wright Shows Promising Progress With a Stellar AHL Playoffs

Seattle Kraken prospect Shane Wright has found another next level with AHL Coachella Valley, restoring his confidence and excelling as a play driver in the Calder Cup playoffs.

If you’ve been sleeping on Shane Wright, it’s time to wake up.

Ever since the Seattle Kraken selected the 20-year-old fourth overall in the 2022 NHL draft after being dubbed as the consensus No. 1 pick in the lead-up, his pedigree, rather than his skill, is what’s made headlines.

The aftermath of slipping in the draft was a year of trains, planes and automobiles for Wright, who split last year between the NHL, AHL and OHL due to the CHL/NHL transfer agreement. 

This year, Wright got an exemption to play in the AHL instead of returning to the OHL, and it's paid off well. Wright had a stellar regular season with the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, recording 47 points in 59 games and being named to the AHL’s top prospect team.

Since then, Wright has elevated his play in the Calder Cup playoffs, including in the final against the Hershey Bears, where the Firebirds face elimination in Monday night's Game 6. 

He's recorded 10 points in 11 playoff games for 0.91 points per game — the fourth-highest mark of any U-21 AHL skater from the past 15 years with a minimum of 10 games played, according to ahltracker.com. 

“His game has grown leaps and bounds this year,” Firebirds coach Dan Bylsma told TheAHL.com.

Not only have nine of his 11 points been primary markers at even strength, but his offensive production is far from the only area where he’s grown. 

He’s been a driver in all three zones, demonstrating sharp attention to detail while shouldering a heavy workload that has only increased as the stakes have risen. Wright logged the second-most even-strength ice time of any Firebirds forward (14:11), according to InStat. And all playoffs long, his on-ice impact has been palpable during even-strength play, where he boasts a team-high 63 expected goals-for percentage this post-season.

Above all, Wright appears to have restored his confidence.

He’s got more assertiveness in his game, be it by how he leverages his skating ability to tilt the ice in his favor or by the amount of grade-A scoring chances he’s consistently producing in these playoffs.

It goes without saying that the Kraken’s decision to keep Wright in the AHL for most of the year has paid off. And it appears he’s a virtual lock to be a top-nine fixture with Seattle this fall.

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