Shane Wright, who went fourth in last summer’s NHL Draft, was sent back to juniors by the Seattle Kraken on Friday.
The move comes a day after Wright captained Canada to overtime win against Czechia at the IIHF U-20 World Junior Championships. He scored in the win against Czechia while finishing with the tournament with four goals and seven points in as many games to help Canada to its record-extending 20th title.
Wright started the season with the Kraken but could never really garner consistent playing time. The 19-year-old was eventually sent to the Kraken’s AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, for a conditioning stint that led to him scoring four goals in five games.
He returned to the Kraken and scored his first goal against the Montreal Canadiens. It became arguably the most anticipated performance of Wright’s young career after it was believed the Canadiens, who had the first pick in the draft, was going to take him but selected Slovakian winger Juraj Slafkovsky instead.
Sending Wright back to his OHL team, the Kingston Frontenacs, means the Kraken will not be able to call him back to the team once Wright’s junior season has ended. It also means the Kraken will not burn the first year of Wright’s entry-level contract because he did it play enough games to warrant this season counting as a full campaign.
Wright had two points in eight games with the Kraken while averaging 8:29 in ice time for a team than could make the playoffs after finishing their inaugural season near the bottom of the NHL standings.