Wright 'C' for the Country

When Kraken forward Shane Wright and Team Canada take the ice Monday for a post-Christmas Day date with Czechia, the 2023 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship will officially kick into high gear. All of Canada will be tracking the tournament that will be played this holiday season in Halifax, NS, and Moncton, NB.
The widespread attention and assessment adds pressure to the prestige of Wright being named Team Canada captain last week. True to the character profile compiled by the Kraken amateur scouting staff before drafting the 18-year-old elite center, Wright first expressed his gratitude for the honor and next shared the limelight with four Canadian alternate captains.
Wright has handled the pressure of captaincy for his country before this tournament. He wore the "C' a couple of seasons ago, leading Canada to gold during the 2021 U18 World Championship in which he scored two goals in a 5-3 win over Russia in the title game.

"This win means the world to me," Wright told the Canadian Press. "It means the world to all of my teammates, our coaches and staff - and the entire country. I could not be more proud of all the work that everyone has put in, how hard everyone has pushed and all the sacrifices we have made to get to this point. I am so happy for all the guys in our locker room."
Wright notched nine goals in five games during 2021, adding five assists for 14 points total. He scored one goal in every game and averaged nearly three points per game. His linemates Monday will be Conor Bedard, a near-consenus No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, and New York Rangers prospect, Brennan Othmann, both prospered at the U18s that year too.
Bedard went sevens across - seven goals and seven assists in seven games while Othmann notched three goals and three assists in seven games. Bedard and Othmann both scored in the gold medal matchup.
Wright and Bedard are two of only seven players in elite juniors Canadian Hockey League history to be granted exceptional player status to join major junior a year early. Others include NHLers Connor McDavid, John Tavares, and Aaron Ekblad.
Wright and Bedard finished second and third in scoring at the 2021 Worlds. Russia Matvei Michkov led all players, one of the reasons why Michkov is regarded as a possible top pick next July in the draft. Another player debated as a potential No. 1 overall selection is University of Michigan forward Adam Fantilli, who is third in NCAA Division I scoring with 11 goals and 15 assists in 16 games. Fantilli is slated to play second-line minutes for Canada.
The Canada captain is excited to play along Bedard, if his comments to a recent media scrum covering preliminary games are any indication: "He thinks the game at such a high level. He can make plays. He's a fast skater. He can shoot the puck. He can do just about everything. It's definitely pretty fun playing with him, that's for sure."
Fans of the Western Hockey League Seattle Thunderbirds will have a keen interest in the World Junior Championship. Four T-Birds teammates are members of the Canada roster: Defensemen Kevin Korchinski and Nolan Allen, plus forward Reid Schaefer, are all projected to get regular minutes. Seattle goalie Thomas Milic is likely to share duties with Ben Gaudreau in round-robin competition.
Team Canada will be part of Group A, along with Dec. 26 opponent Czechia (3:30 p.m. NHL Network), Sweden, Germany, and Austria. Group A will compete in Group A play at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, NS, while Group B comprised of Team USA, Finland, Switzerland, Slovakia, and Latvia will play round-robin games at Avenir Centre in Moncton, NB. Russia remains banned from international play because of its invasion of Ukraine. All games will be broadcast by NHL Network.
Finland opens play in Moncton in a matchup with Switzerland (Dec. 26, 8 a.m., NHL Network) and will play Team USA in a New Year's Eve showdown (1 p.m., NHL Network) in a game that could decide the top seed from Group B leading to the quarterfinals (Jan. 2, NHL Network). Finland's roster includes two Kraken 2022 second-round picks, forward Jani Nyman and goaltender Niklas Kokko.
Nyman had been a big producer on the international stage. In U20 competition to date this season, he has notched seven goals and six assists for 13 points in six games. At the aforementioned 2021 U18 World Junior tourney, Nyman scored two goals and added two assists in six games and, overall, in U18 international play that season he scored 11 goals with 10 assists for 21 points in 21 games. Kokko is one of three Finnish goaltenders vying for playing time.
The 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship was played in August due to the pandemic disruption. Canada won the tourney, beating Finland in overtime Aug. 20 at Rogers Place in Edmonton. No nation has won consecutive tournaments since Canada won five straight from 2005 to 2009.
The top four teams in each group advance to the quarterfinals on Jan. 2. The semifinals are Jan. 4 in Halifax, and the championship and third-place games will be Jan. 5 in Halifax. A best-of-three relegation round will be held during playoff rounds.
Check out our 2023 World Junior Live Blog for all news and game results updates.