Getting it 'Wright'

The Kraken assigned center Shane Wright to the organization's AHL affiliate Sunday, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. It's a move squarely focused on continuing the player's development and getting him more in-game action.
"The biggest thing for me, is [for Wright] to just go out and play," general manager Ron Francis said. "I'm not looking [to say] he's played [this many] games and put up five, eight or 10 points. This is a good league, the American Hockey League. The message [we gave to Wright] is go there and just play and have some fun and do the things that you do well. Don't worry about points or other things."
So how does this work?

By agreement with the world's top juniors league, a player drafted out of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) must be assigned back to that league if they are not playing in the NHL. In Wright's case, he would return to Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League and one of three leagues forming the CHL (the others are the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League).
This move comes in the form of a conditioning loan, which allows an NHL team to send a player who has missed five consecutive games to the AHL for up to five games or a maximum of two weeks. Teams frequently use this tool for everything from a player returning from injury or illness (Bowen Byram in Colorado, 2021-22, Columbus' Joonas Korpisalo, 2022-23) to helping a player find more ice time like Los Angeles' Brandt Clarke (2022-23).
As Francis and his team looked at the current forward depth on the Kraken roster, plus the bounty of games coming up on the Firebirds' schedule, the decision to have Wright head to the AHL made sense. The Kraken don't want to put Wright in a situation that's unfair to him. The Burlington, ON, native can get more playing time in a competitive league with a team that is playing well, posting a 5-3-2-0 record over their last 10 games.
"Coachella plays Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, the following Friday and Saturday," Francis said. "The thought process was to get (Wright) down there and get him playing some games. Then recall him and put him in the lineup here and assess at that point and go from there."
The decision wasn't made in a vacuum without involving the player. Francis says Wright was on board with heading to Coachella Valley, and that "contrary to some of the things that were out there," there's been "constant dialogue" with both Wright and his agent. That includes the Oct. 25 game versus Buffalo when Wright and his general manager watched the game together.

"The point was made to [Wright] that if you look at the 40 guys that are in the lineup tonight for both teams, just one of those 40 players played the National Hockey League when he was 18," Francis said. "This is the best league in the world for a reason. [Wright's] skating is NHL level, he thinks the game, he has the skill set … it's just a matter of getting comfortable and understanding the league."
Francis' point is well-founded. Of the 32 players selected in the first round of the 2022 Draft this past summer, only three have seen NHL ice.
Columbus' David Jiricek (sixth overall selection) has played in two NHL games. But the defender has spent the majority of his season in the AHL (where he can play because he played last season in a European pro league]. Jiricek's call-up was due mostly to a roster decimated by injuries. Juraj Slafkovsky (3-1-4) has played 12 games in Montreal, a team currently sitting sixth in the Atlantic Division. Wright, of course, is the third on the list with seven games played for a team third in the Pacific with 23 standings points and a plus-9 goal differential (eighth in the NHL).
So, what comes next?
The intention is for Wright to play in five games. That could change if he is needed in Seattle due to lineup changes or injuries. But whenever the center returns, Francis says "everybody knows what's potentially out there" when it comes to the opportunities that exist.
The team can deploy Wright in two more games before the first year of his entry-level contract "counts" this season. He can, of course, stay with the team after that or be assigned to the CHL just like Mason McTavish was last season, or Kailer Yamamoto in 2018. There's also the opportunity to play in the highly competitive IIHF World Junior Championship that begins Dec. 26 in Halifax, NS and Moncton, NB.
"[That's something] a lot of teams consider sending their players to," Francis said. "Certainly, that will be something that we'll consider."
Wright has already gone through his

on Monday under the tutelage of head coach Dan Bylsma. When he takes to the ice against the Calgary Wranglers, including preseason play, it will be the player's 13th game of the season. Interestingly enough, that ties the number of games Logan Cooley (selected third overall in the 2022 Draft) has played to date in the NCAA.
And when Wright's time with the Firebirds concludes, the decision will be made as to what is the best next step for Wright and his development.
"I think there's a lot of teams that are looking at their players," Francis said. "Every team is different. But every team is trying to make the decision that is best for their player. That is what we're doing. We're trying to bring Shane along, maintain his confidence and do what's right for him and for the organization. Both short-term and long-term."