Seattle Kraken, Shane Wright

Seattle Kraken’s Shane Wright Loaned to World Juniors

One day after playing in his 8th National Hockey League game, 18-year-old Shane Wright was loaned by the Seattle Kraken to Team Canada to participate in the World Junior Championship (WJC) in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

Wright has headed east to join his countrymen in Moncton for the selection camp and preliminary action for the WJC that begins December 26th. Team Canada begins play in Group A in Halifax against the Czech Republic. Other teams in the group include Austria, Sweden, and Germany.

Team USA will participate in the Group B round robin against Finland, Switzerland, Slovakia and Latvia in Moncton.

Wright is coming off scoring his first NHL goal for the Kraken on Tuesday night at Climate Pledge Arena against the Montreal Canadiens. That followed a two week stint in the American Hockey League with the Kraken affiliated Coachella Valley Firebirds in which he scored four goals and had a shoot-out tally over five games played.

Kraken Prospect At WJC

Wright will be coached by Dennis Williams, six years the head coach and more recently the general manager of the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League. Williams was an assistant coach for Team Canada when they won gold at the Covid-delayed 2022 tournament this past August in Edmonton.

Wright played two games in the tournament when it started up last December, but did not join Team Canada when the event cranked back up in the summer. It’s no surprise that Wright will be participating in this year’s tournament.

“I mean, anytime you can represent your country on the World Junior stage, something you grew up watching and not something you can pass up too easy,” Wright told the media in Seattle on Monday. “So, obviously no final decision has been made yet, but it’s definitely always a tough thing to pass up if the opportunity comes.”

A wish granted and a great opportunity to shine.

Wright captained Canada to gold at the 2021 Under-18’s, where he was second in tournament scoring with nine goals and 14 points in five games. The World Juniors are officially the Under-20’s, where according to TSN network, Team Canada will also feature NHL’ers Brandt Clarke, a defenseman for the LA Kings, and forward Dylan Guenther of the Arizona Coyotes.

Canada and Team Finland would be considered the early favorites.

Rob Simpson

Rob Simpson has covered the NHL in five different decades. He’s authored 4 books on hockey and is a veteran TV and radio play-by-play man and reporter.