‘Coach’s dream’ Wright has taken OHL by storm
Exceptional Frontenacs prospect matched Mcdavid’s rookie scoring mark
The list of players who have been granted exceptional status to play in the Canadian Hockey League at age 15 was once as short as it was impressive.
First, there was John Tavares in 2009. Then Aaron Ekblad in 2011. And Connor Mcdavid in 2012.
Those first three were considered no-doubters. They weren’t just great players — they were truly exceptional talents. All would go on to become No. 1 overall picks in the NHL.
Then came Sean Day in 2013 and Joe Veleno in 2015, and all of a sudden the word “exceptional” lost its meaning.
Day, who wasn’t even a topthree pick in the OHL, was drafted in the third round by the New York Rangers. He’s now playing in the ECHL.
Veleno, the 30th overall pick of the Detroit Red Wings, spent an extra season in junior after his draft year and spent all of this campaign in the American Hockey League, where he tied for seventh in team scoring.
So when Shane Wright was granted exceptional status last year — following denials to 2019 No. 1 overall pick Jack Hughes and several others — what he was really being granted was exceptional comparison. Scouts were certainly hoping he would become the next Tavares or Mcdavid. But at the same time, they couldn’t be sure if the fivefoot-11 centre would be the next Day or Veleno.
Even Wright didn’t know on which side of the spectrum he would fall.
“It crossed my mind when I was going through the process,” said the native of Burlington, Ont. “But I try not to focus on what all those other exceptional players have done in the past. Obviously, I’m a different player from them all. In my case, I just tried to focus on myself, because I already have pretty high expectations and hold myself up to high standards. I didn’t want to add any extra pressure.”
One year in, it looks like Wright is truly exceptional.
The No. 1 overall pick of the Kingston Frontenacs not only won the Emms Family Award as the top rookie in the OHL, but he finished with the same number of points (66) as Mcdavid did in his first season. And he did it in five less games, with 14 more goals.
That doesn’t mean Wright will grow up to be as special of a player as the Edmonton Oilers’ captain — or that he’ll be the No. 1 overall pick when he’s eligible for the NHL draft in 2022. But it probably helped North Vancouver’s Connor Bedard in being granted exceptional status to play in the WHL next season.
“It’s absolutely incredible what he did,” Mark Seidel, chief scout for North American Central Scouting, said of Wright. “Honestly, based on the team he was going to and the personnel they had, it was the most incredible season that I’ve seen in 20 years. It’s not even like when Connor came into the league, because we all expected him to be dynamic and all that.
“For me, I didn’t see Shane going into that group and being able to do what he did. You look at what he was able to do into those last 40 games, he basically dragged them into the playoffs.”
Allowing Wright to play in the OHL a year earlier than normal was actually an easy decision. For one, he had been playing up an age level for as long as he could remember. And because he was born on Jan. 5, he was really only six days younger than the cut-off age.
Then there were his on-ice credentials.
Wright scored 66 goals and 150 points in 72 games with the Don Mills Flyers. And he did it without having Mcdavid’s foot speed or Ekblad’s frame.
“You could see Mcdavid skate as a kid and see that it was going to translate. Even Ekblad was such a big guy that you weren’t worried,” said Seidel. “But Shane Wright was just a really, really good player. You didn’t see anything where he would score (almost) 40 goals. It was shocking.”
Indeed, Wright isn’t a human highlight film. None of his skills are anything you haven’t seen before. His biggest strength might be that he lacks a specific weakness. He’s consistently consistent.
“If you’re coming to a game and expecting him to go 200 feet and dipsy-doodle with the puck, that’s not what he is,” said Frontenacs GM Darren Keily. “But if you’re a hockey fan, you’ll appreciate the little things he does. He’s not a Patrick Kane type who will pull you out of your seat. He’s a coach’s dream. He does everything and he makes it look so natural.”
Well, maybe from the outside it looked natural. After going the first two games without a point — he couldn’t tell you the last time that happened to him in minor hockey — Wright was more than relieved when he scored his first goal of the season.
Still, he took what he called a “mental break” from the OHL to play in the U17s in November. It proved to be a turning point for him.
When Wright returned, he scored 13 goals in the following 16 games. By Christmas, he had his sights on Mcdavid’s rookie point total.
“As the season was closing up and I was getting closer to that mark, it was kind of like a goal of mine to hit that mark,” he said. “I’m obviously proud that I did. He’s an idol of mine. To have that honour of being described in the same category as him is pretty special.”
It’s better than being in the category of some of the other so-called “exceptional” players.