Wright upbeat after falling to Kraken at No. 4 in 2022 NHL Draft

He wore socks that were a deep dark blue with some bold icy blue lines. He wore a tie that matched.

Soon enough, he was wearing a jersey that fit the color scheme perfectly.

“It was meant to be,” he said smiling.

Wright woke up Thursday thinking of hearing his name called by the Montreal Canadiens with the No. 1 pick in the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft, walking up on stage, the crowd at Bell Centre roaring for him, putting on the famous red sweater with the CH logo and posing for pictures.

He instead went fourth to the Seattle Kraken.

“Definitely going to have a little chip on my shoulder from this for sure, a little more motivation,” said the center from Kingston of the Ontario Hockey League. “I’ve always been a self-motivator, always pushing myself internally, but this is definitely going to give me a little more fire for sure.”

Wright was the projected top pick of the draft. He was No. 1 in NHL Central Scouting’s ranking of North American skaters from start to finish this season.

But the Canadiens ignored the projections by taking Slovakian left wing Juraj Slafkovsky from TPS in Liiga, Finland’s top professional men’s league, with the No. 1 pick.

Then the New Jersey Devils took Slovakian defenseman Simon Nemec with the No. 2 pick.

Then the Arizona Coyotes selected Logan Cooley from the USA Hockey National Team Development Program U-18 team at No. 3.

The Kraken were on the clock and Wright was still sitting with his family in the stands.

“Sometimes teams take the best guy they feel will fit, the best player available for their team, the guy they think is going to fit their franchise,” Wright said. “At the end of the day, it’s not my decision. Obviously, you want to be picked as high as possible, but it’s not my choice and I can’t really impact the pick from sitting there in the stands. So, it was alright. I was fine.”

He felt better once Kraken general manager Ron Francis called his name.

“I got drafted into the NHL,” he said. “I achieved that lifelong dream of being drafted to an amazing team in Seattle with a great future ahead. I wouldn’t say it’s relief, I would say more excitement, more proud and just honored to be drafted.”

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Wright said his father whispered in his ear, “We love Seattle. We wanted Seattle.” His father and his agent both said, “It’s a good spot to be.” Francis, himself a No. 4 pick by the Hartford Whalers in the 1981 NHL Draft, told him he was happy and proud to pick him and that he was excited to have him. Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said the same thing.

“At the end of the day it’s less about the number you go and more about where you go, the position you’re in and the best fit,” Wright said. “It’s a great situation for me. I think it’s a great fit. It’s something I’m really proud to be a part of, really excited to build to the future in Seattle and be a big part of the future.”

Francis said the Kraken started talking about the possibility of Wright falling to them at No. 4 a few days ago.

“You had the inkling that Montreal might go with Slafkovsky, and if that happened you start looking at the other teams,” Francis said. “Jersey’s need was not so much in the middle as it was on the back end. Sure enough, they chose the defenseman at No. 2. When you do that, there’s two centermen left and there’s two picks left to go, so at that point, it was a possibility we were going to get a centerman. We’re excited to get Shane at that position.”

Wright said he had some pre-draft communication with the Kraken, including going out to dinner with several of their scouts at one point, but he hadn’t spoken to them since the 2022 NHL Scouting Combine that was held in Buffalo from May 30 to June 4.

He also knows Seattle assistant Paul McFarland, who was hired for his second stint with Kingston as the team’s general manager and coach in 2020 before coronavirus concerns canceled the 2020-21 season.

“I have a good understanding of what they’re all about and I really like everything about it,” Wright said of the Kraken. “I really like what they’re building and where I fit into their organization.”

The Kraken envision Wright and Matty Beniers, the No. 2 pick from the 2021 NHL Draft, being a 1-2 punch down the middle for years to come.

Beniers had nine points (three goals, six assists) in 10 games after signing with the Kraken following his season at the University of Michigan.

“Having now Matty Beniers and Shane Wright as centermen, that sets up this franchise for the next 10 years,” Francis said. “It was exciting. Our guys put a lot of time and effort in, so it was nice to see it fall that way and then able to make the pick with Shane.”

Wright, who received a congratulatory text message from another fourth overall selection in Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitchell Marner, said he thinks he can be an NHL player as soon as next season.

“I do, yeah, I really do,” he said. “I think that’s where I can be. I definitely have a little work to do. I definitely have a lot of things I have to work on [in] my game and obviously, I have to understand the game a little more and understand the pace and the physicality of the NHL. But I think that with work this offseason and learning from the high-end coaches and players on the team I can get there.”

And when he does, he’ll be the one with the giant chip on his shoulders.