Friday, 1 Jul 2022. 07:00
SPECIAL COLLABORATION
With the first pick of the 2022 Amateur Draft, the Montreal Canadiens are proud to select…
Barely a few weeks ago, the rest of this sentence left no doubt. Shane Wright has been at the top of almost every list since becoming the 6th teenager to receive Exceptional Player status, allowing him to start his OHL career a season younger than usual.
Now, the names of Logan Cooley and especially Juraj Slafkovsky have gained momentum and cast doubt on who will be the Canadian’s choice at the top of the draft. They are both excellent players, but Kent Hughes and the CH must not lose sight of the special talent that is Shane Wright.
Wright isn’t an explosive scorer a la Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews, but he’s a complete player who is able to contribute in all facets of the game. , but we have to put his performance in context.
His rookie season was cut short due to COVID and his second season was canceled altogether. These are unique circumstances that undoubtedly had an impact on his immediate development.
Wright was also overused by Kingston, with about 23 minutes of ice time per game, in addition to playing on the first wave on the advantage and disadvantage of power play. After more than a year without hockey, it’s quite a workload to ask of a player who turned 18 in January. Wright responded with 32 goals and 94 points in 63 games, 8th in scoring in the OHL.
His greatest strength is his understanding of the game. He excels at getting in the right place at the right time, both with the puck and without, and is able to spot his teammates in the pay zone with regularity. It also allows him to excel defensively, as he is able to see the game develop and positions himself to block a lot of passes. He keeps a stick active to spear pucks and make life difficult for opposing players.
Wright didn’t attack the slot as often as in previous years and passed the puck more regularly, but his shot is still very dangerous when he decides to shoot. He takes his chances to score when they present themselves, especially when he is able to install Kingston in the offensive cycle. He’s got NHL-quality shooting and, while he probably won’t be a 50-goal scorer, he has the potential to hit the 30-goal plateau with regularity in the pros.
Speaking of offensive cycle, Wright ranked third in completions to the slot in the OHL last year, behind two players who have already been drafted (Rory Kerins in 2020 by Calgary and Wyatt Johnston in 2021 by Dallas).
When entering the zone, he often opts for the pass rather than taking the shot himself, while his two linemates rank ahead of him in chances when entering the zone, but with the quality of his “off the rush” passes. “, it is far from being a negative point in his game.
Wright combines this offense with the play of one of the best defensive forwards in the OHL. At 6’1” and 191lb, he’s not afraid to get physically involved to win puck duels. He excels at blocking passes and has an active stick for harpooning pucks.
The center position has been a problem for the CH since the beginning of the millennium. Slafkovsky has an impressive physique and could offer quite a winger to complete a line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, but Montreal must not be blinded by his size.
Center remains the most important position and the Habs have the chance to form a duo on which to build the next generation of hockey in Montreal. Suzuki and Wright have both been compared to Patrice Bergeron on a regular basis. Two leading centers who can offer quality play both in attack and in defense is an opportunity that Kent Hughes must not let slip through his fingers.