The Seattle Kraken assigned Shane Wright to the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds for a conditioning stint.
Wright, Seattle’s fourth overall selection at the 2022 NHL draft, has been scratched in 11 of the Kraken’s 18 games this season. The 18-year-old forward has registered just one point in seven games while logging 8:06 per game this season.
While the NHL/CHL Transfer Agreement prohibits the Kraken from being able to assign Wright to the AHL outright, there’s an option that allows for a two-week minor league stint once a player is scratched in five straight NHL games.
The 2023 World Junior Championship will be just a few weeks away once Wright’s loan is completed, and chances are he will remain with the Kraken until at least the start of the tournament. Seattle can still assign Wright, who has recorded 160 points in 121 OHL games, to the Kingston Frontenacs after the world juniors without the Burlington, Ont. native getting a year closer to UFA status.
Before the season, Kraken GM Ron Francis told The Athletic’s Pierre Lebrun that he thought Wright would be with the NHL club for the whole season. But in a conversation with Alison Lukan of NHL.com on Oct. 28, Francis said Wright playing around seven minutes a night was “not ideal,” and the organization was aiming for him to be playing between 10 to 12 minutes of ice time per night. Since that interview, Wright has played in just two games – logging 13:45 and 8:42, respectively.
