C Shane Wright (2022, 4th, SEA) Part 4

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

I get that Wright, so far, hasn't been what people though what you're saying here couldn't be further from the truth.

Everyone who covers the Kraken will tell you that the team had to drag Wright off the ice given that he always worked incredibly hard on his game and stayed until the Zamboni came around to work on the ice.

So work ethic isn't the problem here.

Too much hype and potentially being more physically mature earlier than others(and therefore being better than others at his age grop) might be a reason, though.

Overall I'd be happy if he turns into a solid #2C with his solid 200 feet game and a pretty good shot.

He was visibly lazy for large portions of his draft year in Kingston.

Watch some of these clips



This kind of lack of engagement is not something you'd expect to see from a guy who "always works incredibly hard"

 

[RainyCityHockey]

He was visibly lazy for large portions of his draft year in Kingston.

Watch some of these clips



This kind of lack of engagement is not something you'd expect to see from a guy who "always works incredibly hard"

So you take some clips to call him lazy and completely disregard people watching him daily at practice?

Good on you.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

So you take some clips to call him lazy and completely disregard people watching him daily at practice?

Good on you.

It was damn near the entire 2nd half of his draft year where he seemingly refused to even lift his feet to get back in the play.

Don't take it from me though, take it from the scouts who watched him all year:

You are obviously biased discussing this player, but it looks like Seattle may have gotten a lemon.

 

[WarriorofTime]

So you take some clips to call him lazy and completely disregard people watching him daily at practice?

Good on you.

It’s not uncommon for the “had to drag him off the ice he wanted to keep working” stories to be made up for PR.

 

[RainyCityHockey]

It’s not uncommon for the “had to drag him off the ice he wanted to keep working” stories to be made up for PR.

It's actually not made up.

But yeah, until he proves it in the NHL people will keep on giving it to him.

 

[lomiller1]

It’s not uncommon for the “had to drag him off the ice he wanted to keep working” stories to be made up for PR.

Maybe they had to drag him off the ice because it took him to long to get anyplace under his own power...

 

[majormajor]

It was damn near the entire 2nd half of his draft year where he seemingly refused to even lift his feet to get back in the play.

Don't take it from me though, take it from the scouts who watched him all year:

View attachment 710491

You are obviously biased discussing this player, but it looks like Seattle may have gotten a lemon.

Wright's draft year issues were compounded by being out of shape. The heavy feet and lack of motor was a real issue and he got rid of it that offseason. You could see an immediate difference by his first NHL training camp.

There are still important issues there with his lack of stability and strength and lack of confidence in protecting the puck, he's really pretty bad at it. But he's well conditioned at this point, I don't think we have a lazy player issue here.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Wright's draft year issues were compounded by being out of shape. The heavy feet and lack of motor was a real issue and he got rid of it that offseason. You could see an immediate difference by his first NHL training camp.

There are still important issues there with his lack of stability and strength and lack of confidence in protecting the puck, he's really pretty bad at it. But he's well conditioned at this point, I don't think we have a lazy player issue here.

Did you watch him in this year's OHL playoffs? Looked like more of the same in terms of intensity.

My sense is that his training camp motor was in part due to the higher level of play / trying to make a good impression.

He seems like a super nice kid, so I'd love for him to succeed. But after watching him so much the last 2 years I'm not convinced his motor issues were completely conditioning related. He never seemed to have any problem taking off when he saw a chance to score, only to go right back to coasting moments later.

 

[majormajor]

Did you watch him in this year's OHL playoffs? Looked like more of the same in terms of intensity.

My sense is that his training camp motor was in part due to the higher level of play / trying to make a good impression.

He seems like a super nice kid, so I'd love for him to succeed. But after watching him so much the last 2 years I'm not convinced his motor issues were completely conditioning related. He never seemed to have any problem taking off when he saw a chance to score, only to go right back to coasting moments later.

I didn't watch that OHL series, no. Maybe he's got some entitlement vs OHLers, I don't know.

 

[Breakfast of Champs]

It was damn near the entire 2nd half of his draft year where he seemingly refused to even lift his feet to get back in the play.

Don't take it from me though, take it from the scouts who watched him all year:

View attachment 710491

You are obviously biased discussing this player, but it looks like Seattle may have gotten a lemon.

Those scout quotes are bang on from what I've seen too - he's just "there" all the time, never really making any big plays, not showing any desire to take over the games , just playing within the system and playing "fine". A first round pick ? Sure he's playing well and producing to that standard, but for a guy who was supposed to be in the Stamkos/MacKinnon echelon of prospects and a near lock for #1, there's just no way to justify being thaat mediocre for this long. You might get 1 out of 25 games for the other 2 when they don't flat out dominate their peers at that level and then the other 24 it's extremely obvious they are worlds above that league in ability.

I'm Wright's case it seems like he can go stretches of 5, 10 games where maybe once he truly stands out, and even then it's more of an opportunistic approach and finishing plays , not making something from nothing on a shift by shift basis like you would expect from someone pegged a future #1 franchise C in the NHL. It's got to the point where if you watch him you hope you're getting his 1 good game of the month otherwise you can basically expect a good, steady, all around performance with no flashes of actual greatness , just bland routine plays with the odd snipe on the pp

 

[majormajor]

for a guy who was supposed to be in the Stamkos/MacKinnon echelon of prospects and a near lock for #1

Those expectations are already a couple years out of date. I don't see the point in comparing him to that level.

 

[bmore236]

I haven’t watched him in the OHL, but the games in the AHL I think he is being a bit too deferential to his teammates. Was that the Kingston strategy holding the puck for a few seconds and passing it along.

As someone who really wants him to succeed, I think he needs more time either in the AHL or possibly Windsor depending on who is the coach.

 

[Breakfast of Champs]

Those expectations are already a couple years out of date. I don't see the point in comparing him to that level.

Right we should be comparing him to more of a Nick Suzuki and he's still failing to match that level of play IMO

 

[NotProkofievian]

It's been a challenging year for my boy Shane. He's gotta go back to the drawing board for next season and find a way to get back on track. I think a good goal for him would be to figure out the AHL next year. The only part of his game that's transferred so far is his shooting. That's not going to cut it. He needs to be more implicated, possess the puck more and make harder, higher percentage plays. He can't just be in the right position, make cheeky passes, and snipe all game.

I think he can figure it out, but he better get a move on.

 

[Mrb1p]

He was good enough to show that baring some major regression he's nowhere near being scratched at the ahl level , which was my point.

Honestly I think he would be a top line player in that league.

Buddy we just had our first overall have the worst season ever, for a first overall, hold your horses a little bit.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Those expectations are already a couple years out of date. I don't see the point in comparing him to that level.

Agreed. That time has come and gone. From this point forward he should be viewed as exactly what he is, the fourth pick in a weaker draft class. Not much point in beating a dead horse that he didn’t live up to the expectations that people had him when he was 15.

 

[Breakfast of Champs]

Buddy we just had our first overall have the worst season ever, for a first overall, hold your horses a little bit.

yeah and Wright's season would have even topped that, I stand by my statement.

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

I haven’t watched him in the OHL, but the games in the AHL I think he is being a bit too deferential to his teammates. Was that the Kingston strategy holding the puck for a few seconds and passing it along.

As someone who really wants him to succeed, I think he needs more time either in the AHL or possibly Windsor depending on who is the coach.

He played like that in the ohl.
You would think someone with his level of talent would play a more puck possession type of game, but for some reason he doesn't like holding on to the puck for long

 

[bmore236]

He played like that in the ohl.
You would think someone with his level of talent would play a more puck possession type of game, but for some reason he doesn't like holding on to the puck for long

Thanks

 

[PanniniClaus]

He's being bypassed by players in his draft class right now.. Coachella are playing well but he's being kept in street clothes by some pretty mediocre players.. Maybe he gets another chance here and takes it...

If Coachella had missed the playoffs there would have been no rush to try and have Shane Wright come and play for Canada. Carcone is a much better player than him right now.

 

[Tanknation]

I think Wright will make for a decent 3rd liner in the NHL. Or a top line AHL player. Somewhere in between.

 

[Gruyeriev]

So it’s safe to say he won’t be slotting into 2C on Kraken anytime soon. Well maybe he will just end up being a winger in the middle 6.

 

[samsagat]

I think Wright will make for a decent 3rd liner in the NHL. Or a top line AHL player. Somewhere in between.

Hard to tell, he definitely have the talent to do better.

I have the impression that if he gets rid of his "entitlement" issues, he's gonna do great.

If not, he'll fall into the "talented with attitude issues" category.

When you think you're too good to look at yourself in the mirror in order to get better, blaming everything but yourself for your failures, chances are you'll stagnate and get passed over by less talented but more realistic and humble people.

Particularly in a competitive environment implying big buck$ like the NHL.

 

[hotcabbagesoup]

So it’s safe to say he won’t be slotting into 2C on Kraken anytime soon. Well maybe he will just end up being a winger in the middle 6.

Doesn't really matter since the Kraken run four scoring lines. He can still be extremely valuable as the 3C or the 4C.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Doesn't really matter since the Kraken run four scoring lines. He can still be extremely valuable as the 3C or the 4C.

That's only because they haven't been around long enough to run into a cap crunch. It won't be the case forever.