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Kraken’s Shane Wright scores first NHL goal vs. Canadiens

Seattle Kraken forward Shane Wright scored his first NHL goal on Tuesday night against the Montreal Canadiens. Here’s what you need to know:

  • Wright scored at the 15:30 mark of the first period. Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde assisted on the goal.
  • Wright scored his first NHL goal in just his eighth game with the Kraken.
  • The Kraken entered Tuesday night with a 15-6-3 record.

Backstory

During the 2021 NHL Draft, the Canadiens held the No. 1 pick, with an opportunity to select Wright. Instead, they went with Juraj Slafkovsky. Wright, a top prospect who received exceptional status in the Ontario Hockey League, fell to No. 4 where the Kraken selected him.

After only playing seven NHL games, recording zero goals and one assist, the Kraken reassigned Wright to the Coachella Valley Firebirds — their AHL affiliate — on a conditioning loan. Kraken general manager Ron Francis had previously said the 18-year-old would likely spend his entire rookie season in the NHL.

“I don’t want to draw a line in the sand, but I would think he’s with us for the year,” Francis told The Athletic. “It’s just a matter of how things go and managing it. … But I think he’ll be fine. He’s fit right in. He does a lot of good things.”

The Kraken have mapped out a plan for Wright, and that so far has included many games off and hours of remedial sessions — both on and off the ice — with the Kraken coaching staff. He told The Athletic he understands the process, is comfortable with it and trusts that Francis, a Hall of Fame center, and Dave Hakstol, the Kraken coach with deep experience at both the NHL and collegiate level, know the proper way to develop an NHL player.

“Obviously I want to be here long-term,” Wright said. “It’s definitely the only goal and where I want to be, and I think that I can be here. I think I can improve, prove to the coaches, prove to my teammates, that I belong here.

In five games with the Firebirds, Wright scored four goals. On Monday, after the five-game conditioning stint, the Kraken recalled Wright, ahead of the team’s matchup against the Canadiens.

Required reading

(Photo: Steven Bisig / USA Today)

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