Shane Wright lands in middle of trade rumours after success at WJC

Shane Wright is fresh off of his World Junior Hockey Championships triumph with Team Canada, but reality caught up with him on Friday morning.

His Seattle Kraken announced on Friday that Wright was being re-assigned and sent back to his junior hockey team, the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs. Wright previously played for two seasons with the Frontenacs. In 121 OHL games, he recorded 71 goals and 89 assists.

Wright is coming off a gold medal at the 2023 World Junior Hockey Championship as the captain of Team Canada, scoring in the final game against Czechia.

This season, he has a goal and two points in eight games with the Kraken, who selected Wright with the fourth overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

While he is not off to the expected start in the NHL, Wright showed off his impressive skills at the World Junior Hockey Championships. He ended the tournament with four goals and seven points in seven games.

The Kraken’s move and the hype around Wright all led to TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston reporting the expectation is that Wright will be traded by the Frontenacs in the coming days.

This is not the first time Wright lands in trade chatter in the OHL. Earlier this season, Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek had mentioned how the Frontenacs, who are bidding to become hosts to the Memorial Cup in 2024, could use Wright as tremendous trade bait to put together a trade that would bring in many pieces.

In late November, the Kraken loaned Wright to AHL affiliate Coachella Valley on a conditioning assignment. He flourished with the AHL Firebirds, notching four goals in five games and getting top-line shifts during 5-on-5 and the power play.

Let’s see where he lands in the OHL while he waits to be called back to the big league.

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