C Shane Wright - Kingston Frontenacs, OHL (2022, 4th, SEA) Part 3

[Frank Drebin]

Can't wait for this kid to play in Montreal. Hope the media lays off him a bit if he takes some time to get good (I know they won't lay off him btw )

I think expectations are low, but it is Montreal so...

I don't expect anything other than year over year improvement

 

[Aceboogie]

Possibly a fair comparison for 1 and 2 in that scouts were not completely sold on the players available were elite. The stats community held a very different view however and thought that there were a number of really high level talents in the draft and that there were as many as a dozen fantastic prospects. Not all of them hit of course, they never do but overall the "stat watchers" were pretty much bang on.

ETA Both Draisaitl and Reinhart were both significantly more productive than either Patrick or Wright.

Wright and Reinhart seem to be similar in terms of production. Reinhart a bit higher but they are still in similar territory. Reinhart though did lead his team in points

I'd say Wright and Slaf are just below Reinhart/Draisaitl predraft (imo). I recall the 2014 draft being regarded as one of the weaker ones at the time, with 2015 being the crown jewel to look forward to

For me this draft feels like the 2011 (RNH/Landeskog) or 2012 (Yak/Galchenyk) drafts in terms of top end forwards

If Wright ends up like the PPG Reinhart we saw this past season I would be satisfied.

Fair enough. It did take him 6 years of average play and a switch to the highest offensive team in the league to do it. Reinhart is a great #2 center and one who can fill in as a #1 if need be. Similar to an RNH.

I see Wrights as most likely ending up as this. He does have higher upside, but on a probability basis it's likely as this

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Fair enough. It did take him 6 years of average play and a switch to the highest offensive team in the league to do it. Reinhart is a great #2 center and one who can fill in as a #1 if need be. Similar to an RNH.

I see Wrights as most likely ending up as this. He does have higher upside, but on a probability basis it's likely as this

Reinhart also played most of the season on the wing.

 

[didimentionlarseller]

starting to get excited for this draft it feels like such a long buildup after the lottery

 

[Frank Drebin]

starting to get excited for this draft it feels like such a long buildup after the lottery

The Habs board this summer if we pick slaf....look out

 

[karhukissa]

Wright is gonna bust

Why's that? Or is it just one of those feelings?

 

[ottawa]

Mentioned it in another thread but Wright will go down as the most polarizing 1st oa if the habs take him, can't remember the last time a prospect had fans across every team so split.

 

[Garbageyuk]

Shane Wright = Chad Kilger.

This kid is going to bust. A sound board of hockey cliches would provide a more interesting interview than Shane Wright. There is no passion or intensity in his interviews or in his game on the ice.

Red flags:

1. Downward/flat trajectory heading into the draft, depending on how you look at it. Reminiscent of Angelo Esposito and other busts.

2. Does not elevate his game in the playoffs, does not play with any urgency, and simultaneously, possesses no elite attributes to make up for it. Some will try to point to his shot as being elite, but it is merely good/NHL calibre, not elite.

3. Basically took an entire year off to dick around and the excuse is the pandemic. It's not his fault there was no OHL hockey, but by the sounds of it, he didn't spend any of that time training, or getting stronger, or working on his game. Apparently he spent it playing golf and learning to play guitar. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but he is supposedly (so he says in his interviews) trying to be the best player from his draft and wants to one day help a team win the Cup. Where is the drive, the passion for the game? A lot of the best players were absolutely obsessed and lived and breathed hockey 24/7. Gretzky would have to get literally dragged off the ice at his place growing up or else he'd spend all night out there. Crosby would shoot pucks into an old dryer in the basement for literally hours when he wasn't at the rink. That isn't Shane Wright. I get the feeling he doesn't even like hockey very much. He can say whatever, but actions speak louder than words. Shades of Alexander Daigle?

4. His mature body allowed him to play a game and get away with things that aren't going to fly at the NHL level. It's not that he was physical, but he likes float and play at this slow, cerebral pace and his size and decent skating combined with the nature of the game at the OHL level allowed him to be pretty successful doing this. At the NHL, he will have no size or skating advantage whatsoever, and he will have much, much less time and space. Combine that with his lack of drive and intensity, and you have a recipe for a disaster of a #1 pick, and it would be made much worse by the scrutiny and pressure of playing in MTL.

I've reached this conclusion after watching him a lot, analyzing his game, attributes, and interviews, and considering all the different factors at work here. 2 months ago, I felt much different about him, but things I feel are much more clear now.

The Habs need to stay away, and if they don't, they and we as fans will regret it.

Take Slafkovsky, Nemec, or Cooley. I don't feel like any of them will set the world on fire, but they don't have the numerous red flags that Wright does.

 

[BenchBrawl]

3. Basically took an entire year off to dick around and the excuse is the pandemic. It's not his fault there was no OHL hockey, but by the sounds of it, he didn't spend any of that time training, or getting stronger, or working on his game. Apparently he spent it playing golf and learning to play guitar. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but he is supposedly (so he says in his interviews) trying to be the best player from his draft and wants to one day help a team win the Cup. Where is the drive, the passion for the game? A lot of the best players were absolutely obsessed and lived and breathed hockey 24/7. Gretzky would have to get literally dragged off the ice at his place growing up or else he'd spend all night out there. Crosby would shoot pucks into an old dryer in the basement for literally hours when he wasn't at the rink. That isn't Shane Wright. I get the feeling he doesn't even like hockey very much. He can say whatever, but actions speak louder than words. Shades of Alexander Daigle?

I don't know if you're right about your overall analysis, but Wright destroyed his parents' garage door shooting pucks at it.

There it is, we even have a photo of it:

Source: The next one? Shane Wright has the intangibles - and shot - of a generational star

 

[Garbageyuk]

I don't know if you're right about your overall analysis, but Wright destroyed his parents' garage door shooting pucks at it.

There it is, we even have a photo of it:

View attachment 564460

Source: The next one? Shane Wright has the intangibles - and shot - of a generational star

That article is from 2 years ago. Clearly he's been up to other things lately and especially during the year off. I'm not sure I'd put much stock into that photo. More important is how the last year or two have gone and how he comes off today.

 

[BenchBrawl]

That article is from 2 years ago. Clearly he's been up to other things lately and especially during the year off. I'm not sure I'd put much stock into that photo. More important is how the last year or two have gone and how he comes off today.

Possible. Then again, these are not normal times. I've known my fair share of people who behaved strangely at some point from 2020-2022. Kid is 17 years old, who knows what's going on in his life. I am worried about Wright's play this season, but to come out and say he's going to bust because he lacked intensity during one season at 17 years old in the middle of the most stressful societal time we've had for decades in North America; eh, maybe, but he could also find his legs and his fire back.

 

[SlafySZN]

Possible. Then again, these are not normal times. I've known my fair share of people who behaved strangely at some point from 2020-2022. Kid is 17 years old, who knows what's going on in his life. I am worried about Wright's play this season, but to come out and say he's going to bust because he lacked intensity during one season at 17 years old in the middle of the most stressful societal time we've had for decades in North America; eh, maybe, but he could also find his legs and his fire back.

All you said. But when you ask him about his lack of intensity or drive he says it’s his game style and that it’s not how he plays. You can play the kind of game Wright wants to play with intensity and higher compete-level.

Wonder if instinct and those kind of things can be teached.

 

[BenchBrawl]

All you said. But when you ask him about his lack of intensity or drive he says it’s his game style and that it’s not how he plays. You can play the kind of game Wright wants to play with intensity and higher compete-level.

I agree you can play that style, but comparing 2020 vs 2022 videos his tendency to that style look way more extreme in 2022.

 

[Garbageyuk]

Possible. Then again, these are not normal times. I've known my fair share of people who behaved strangely at some point from 2020-2022. Kid is 17 years old, who knows what's going on in his life. I am worried about Wright's play this season, but to come out and say he's going to bust because he lacked intensity during one season at 17 years old in the middle of the most stressful societal time we've had for decades in North America; eh, maybe, but he could also find his legs and his fire back.

You may recall that there were several other reasons I listed, in addition to that one.

 

[BenchBrawl]

You may recall that there were several other reasons I listed, in addition to that one.

Your (1) reason is related to what we're talking about.

Your (2) reason ignores his tournament in 2021.

Your (4) reason could be valid, but it's highly debatable. Maybe it won't translate, maybe it will. We'll know in 5 years.

 

[NotProkofievian]

Shane Wright = Chad Kilger.

This kid is going to bust. A sound board of hockey cliches would provide a more interesting interview than Shane Wright. There is no passion or intensity in his interviews or in his game on the ice.

Red flags:

1. Downward/flat trajectory heading into the draft, depending on how you look at it. Reminiscent of Angelo Esposito and other busts.

2. Does not elevate his game in the playoffs, does not play with any urgency, and simultaneously, possesses no elite attributes to make up for it. Some will try to point to his shot as being elite, but it is merely good/NHL calibre, not elite.

3. Basically took an entire year off to dick around and the excuse is the pandemic. It's not his fault there was no OHL hockey, but by the sounds of it, he didn't spend any of that time training, or getting stronger, or working on his game. Apparently he spent it playing golf and learning to play guitar. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but he is supposedly (so he says in his interviews) trying to be the best player from his draft and wants to one day help a team win the Cup. Where is the drive, the passion for the game? A lot of the best players were absolutely obsessed and lived and breathed hockey 24/7. Gretzky would have to get literally dragged off the ice at his place growing up or else he'd spend all night out there. Crosby would shoot pucks into an old dryer in the basement for literally hours when he wasn't at the rink. That isn't Shane Wright. I get the feeling he doesn't even like hockey very much. He can say whatever, but actions speak louder than words. Shades of Alexander Daigle?

4. His mature body allowed him to play a game and get away with things that aren't going to fly at the NHL level. It's not that he was physical, but he likes float and play at this slow, cerebral pace and his size and decent skating combined with the nature of the game at the OHL level allowed him to be pretty successful doing this. At the NHL, he will have no size or skating advantage whatsoever, and he will have much, much less time and space. Combine that with his lack of drive and intensity, and you have a recipe for a disaster of a #1 pick, and it would be made much worse by the scrutiny and pressure of playing in MTL.

I've reached this conclusion after watching him a lot, analyzing his game, attributes, and interviews, and considering all the different factors at work here. 2 months ago, I felt much different about him, but things I feel are much more clear now.

The Habs need to stay away, and if they don't, they and we as fans will regret it.

Take Slafkovsky, Nemec, or Cooley. I don't feel like any of them will set the world on fire, but they don't have the numerous red flags that Wright does.

Bookmarked.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Shane Wright = Chad Kilger.

This kid is going to bust. A sound board of hockey cliches would provide a more interesting interview than Shane Wright. There is no passion or intensity in his interviews or in his game on the ice.

Red flags:

1. Downward/flat trajectory heading into the draft, depending on how you look at it. Reminiscent of Angelo Esposito and other busts.

2. Does not elevate his game in the playoffs, does not play with any urgency, and simultaneously, possesses no elite attributes to make up for it. Some will try to point to his shot as being elite, but it is merely good/NHL calibre, not elite.

3. Basically took an entire year off to dick around and the excuse is the pandemic. It's not his fault there was no OHL hockey, but by the sounds of it, he didn't spend any of that time training, or getting stronger, or working on his game. Apparently he spent it playing golf and learning to play guitar. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but he is supposedly (so he says in his interviews) trying to be the best player from his draft and wants to one day help a team win the Cup. Where is the drive, the passion for the game? A lot of the best players were absolutely obsessed and lived and breathed hockey 24/7. Gretzky would have to get literally dragged off the ice at his place growing up or else he'd spend all night out there. Crosby would shoot pucks into an old dryer in the basement for literally hours when he wasn't at the rink. That isn't Shane Wright. I get the feeling he doesn't even like hockey very much. He can say whatever, but actions speak louder than words. Shades of Alexander Daigle?

4. His mature body allowed him to play a game and get away with things that aren't going to fly at the NHL level. It's not that he was physical, but he likes float and play at this slow, cerebral pace and his size and decent skating combined with the nature of the game at the OHL level allowed him to be pretty successful doing this. At the NHL, he will have no size or skating advantage whatsoever, and he will have much, much less time and space. Combine that with his lack of drive and intensity, and you have a recipe for a disaster of a #1 pick, and it would be made much worse by the scrutiny and pressure of playing in MTL.

I've reached this conclusion after watching him a lot, analyzing his game, attributes, and interviews, and considering all the different factors at work here. 2 months ago, I felt much different about him, but things I feel are much more clear now.

The Habs need to stay away, and if they don't, they and we as fans will regret it.

Take Slafkovsky, Nemec, or Cooley. I don't feel like any of them will set the world on fire, but they don't have the numerous red flags that Wright does.

This is a well thought out post. I can't say I agree with all of it, but I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought these thoughts a few times after watching some of his less than stellar efforts.

I think the pace issue you bring up is probably the most concerning, as some of the other stuff maybe could be ignored / overcome. But like Lafreniere, I think the speed of the NHL is going to be too much for Shane in his first few years. Heck, he looked like he was struggling to keep up at the WJC.

The cockiness in his interviews also bothers me a bit as well - I think all the media attention after his 15 year old season got to his head. The way he talks about himself in interviews makes it seem like he thinks he's Sidney Crosby, but he's just flat out not that good.

 

[Kranix]

Shane Wright = Chad Kilger.

This kid is going to bust. A sound board of hockey cliches would provide a more interesting interview than Shane Wright. There is no passion or intensity in his interviews or in his game on the ice.

Red flags:


3. Basically took an entire year off to dick around and the excuse is the pandemic. It's not his fault there was no OHL hockey, but by the sounds of it, he didn't spend any of that time training, or getting stronger, or working on his game. Apparently he spent it playing golf and learning to play guitar. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but he is supposedly (so he says in his interviews) trying to be the best player from his draft and wants to one day help a team win the Cup. Where is the drive, the passion for the game? A lot of the best players were absolutely obsessed and lived and breathed hockey 24/7. Gretzky would have to get literally dragged off the ice at his place growing up or else he'd spend all night out there. Crosby would shoot pucks into an old dryer in the basement for literally hours when he wasn't at the rink. That isn't Shane Wright. I get the feeling he doesn't even like hockey very much. He can say whatever, but actions speak louder than words. Shades of Alexander Daigle?

If he didn't train at all, that's bad. Comparing any trait of a hockey player to Wayne isn't really helpful. Wayne also didn't touch a hockey stick in the summers, preferring baseball, and said he might have liked baseball more than hockey, saying if he could trade his hockey career for an MLB career he would do it. I agree though, Wright's interviews are strange and go beyond nervous kid in the spotlight.

 

[Peasy]

If he didn't train at all, that's bad. Comparing any trait of a hockey player to Wayne isn't really helpful. Wayne also didn't touch a hockey stick in the summers, preferring baseball, and said he might have liked baseball more than hockey, saying if he could trade his hockey career for an MLB career he would do it. I agree though, Wright's interviews are strange and go beyond nervous kid in the spotlight.

Times have changed though. Players work out way more than what they use to. I would always hear former NHLers (that played like 10+ years ago) mention how in the summer they wouldnt even touch ice until August at the earliest (usually like 2-3 weeks before training camp). Nowadays players are on the ice constantly throughout the off season and always working on skills. You really need that drive to be at the top, and if you don't youll faulter quickly. As Adam Sandler said in Hustle, "you need to be OBSESSED".

Not saying this directly implies to Wright as I dont know what he does in the off season, but just making the point that players are training way more in the off season than they have in the past.

 

[Jeffrey Pedler]

This is a well thought out post. I can't say I agree with all of it, but I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought these thoughts a few times after watching some of his less than stellar efforts.

I think the pace issue you bring up is probably the most concerning, as some of the other stuff maybe could be ignored / overcome. But like Lafreniere, I think the speed of the NHL is going to be too much for Shane in his first few years. Heck, he looked like he was struggling to keep up at the WJC.

The cockiness in his interviews also bothers me a bit as well - I think all the media attention after his 15 year old season got to his head. The way he talks about himself in interviews makes it seem like he thinks he's Sidney Crosby, but he's just flat out not that good.

What cockiness? Every player thinks they should go first overall. He is much more polished than Slaf.

I'm tired of these high ceiling players, based on size or a gut feeling. Whatever happens to hockey IQ, shot accuracy, defensive awareness, skating etc

 

[Michoulicious]

The real question for me at the top is between Wright and Cooley.

I see it as a Tavares vs Duchene 2.0 situation.

I personally would go for Wright (Tavares) as a C, but I understand people who like more the Cooley/Duchene kind of players.

Slaf is at #4 on my list behind Jiricek, so not really into the debate for #1 OA for me.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

What cockiness? Every player thinks they should go first overall. He is much more polished than Slaf.

I'm tired of these high ceiling players, based on size or a gut feeling. Whatever happens to hockey IQ, shot accuracy, defensive awareness, skating etc

It's one thing to think you should go 1st, it's another to say you deserve it.

 

[Garbageyuk]

This is a well thought out post. I can't say I agree with all of it, but I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought these thoughts a few times after watching some of his less than stellar efforts.

I think the pace issue you bring up is probably the most concerning, as some of the other stuff maybe could be ignored / overcome. But like Lafreniere, I think the speed of the NHL is going to be too much for Shane in his first few years. Heck, he looked like he was struggling to keep up at the WJC.

The cockiness in his interviews also bothers me a bit as well - I think all the media attention after his 15 year old season got to his head. The way he talks about himself in interviews makes it seem like he thinks he's Sidney Crosby, but he's just flat out not that good.

I don’t think that’s him; I think it’s a coached masquerade from his agent or someone else. I don’t buy it, at all. It simply does not fit with the personality he otherwise gives off. Same thing with the “competitive” stuff. He clearly is not a particularly competitive guy relative to the level he’s playing at - that aspect doesn’t show up in his game at all. Like I said, he can say whatever, but actions speak louder than words. If he was so competitive, he would have used that year off to try to improve his game in any way he could, he would not have been able to stand dicking around with golf and guitar and whatever else while others are working hard and improving. We are being sold a bill of goods here with this guy by him and his agent/management.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

I don’t think that’s him; I think it’s a coached masquerade from his agent or someone else. I don’t buy it, at all. It simply does not fit with the personality he otherwise gives off. Same thing with the “competitive” stuff. He clearly is not a particularly competitive guy relative to the level he’s playing at - that aspect doesn’t show up in his game at all. Like I said, he can say whatever, but actions speak louder than words. If he was so competitive, he would have used that year off to try to improve his game in any way he could, he would not have been able to stand dicking around with golf and guitar and whatever else while others are working hard and improving. We are being sold a bill of goods here with this guy by him and his agent/management.

Yeah I don't buy it either. When he was asked to share something about himself that others would find surprising, he said that he "likes to have fun". He's trying to sound like Jonathan Toews. But with Toews, you saw that fire on the ice.

 

[simonedvinsson]

I don't know if you're right about your overall analysis, but Wright destroyed his parents' garage door shooting pucks at it.

There it is, we even have a photo of it:

View attachment 564460

Source: The next one? Shane Wright has the intangibles - and shot - of a generational star

this whole part of crosby's narrative has always been a weird point of focus to me. he's hardly the only kid destroying his parents' stuff practicing his shot. i did that to my parents' garage, and i never turned pro. my little brother did this as well, as did many of our friends. we used to play hockey in the daylight basement, and put plenty of holes in the walls, broke furniture, etc., and when it wasn't raining, we played in the driveway, destroying the garage door and dozens of windows.