Although the gap between one and two in this year's NHL draft may have narrowed, for several years it has been Wright's name that has been bandied about as the top pick heading into the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Wright has been on scout's radar from the very beginning. At 14 years old he played with the Don Mills Flyers, a U16 AAA team in the Toronto area. He had 150 points in 72 games.
Later, he was granted "exceptional status" to enter the Ontario Hockey League's draft as a 15-year-old. He was taken first overall by the Kingston Frontenacs. In his rookie season, he contributed 66 points in 55 games, before his season was cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic that shut down the Ontario Hockey League for more than a full season. Wright returned to play for the 2021-22 season with the Frontenacs after nearly a year away from high-level competition, was named the captain of the team, and finished with 94 points in 63 games, including 62 assists. He had another 14 points in 11 playoff games.
Wright may not have the same flashy game that other first overall picks have had before him, but he is a player who can do it all on the offensive side of the game, has the smooth skating and the drive to be the best that you'd want from any player on your team and is a reliable two-way forward.
One of Wright's greatest strengths is the way he reads the game at an elite level, in real-time, which makes him an excellent playmaker, to go along with all other aspects of his game. He has been noted as being the player with the highest hockey IQ in the upcoming draft. What stands out in Wright's game as well is his two-way play, ready to change gears the moment possession in a game changes. Wright himself on several occasions said that he has tried to model his game after Boston Bruin Patrice Bergeron.
