Chip on his shoulder, Wright sees 'unfinished business' at World Juniors
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TSN SportsCentre Reporter Mark Masters reports on the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship. Team Canada opened its World Junior selection camp with a practice at the Avenir Centre in Moncton, N.B., on Friday
A year after a COVID outbreak cancelled the 2022 World Juniors in Edmonton and Red Deer, Shane Wright returns to the biggest stage in junior hockey a new man.
"Much different person," the 18-year-old Seattle Kraken forward said. "I've grown a lot in maturity. Definitely grown a lot in confidence in myself and my abilities. I've gone through a lot the last year. A little bit of adversity at times and trying to figure out my way."
Wright skipped the rescheduled summer World Juniors, held in Edmonton from Aug. 9-20, because the Kraken wanted him focused on his first NHL training camp. Seattle has now loaned him to Team Canada for the 2023 event, which kicks off on Boxing Day in Halifax, N.S., and Moncton.
"Definitely some unfinished business," Wright said. "It's nice to be back here."
Wright brings a responsible two-way game, deadly shot and locker-room leadership to Team Canada. He also brings some scars. Long touted as the projected first overall pick in the 2022 NHL draft, Wright slipped to No. 4 in July.
"I don't even look at that as a setback," said friend Brandt Clarke, a defenceman who was loaned to Team Canada by the Los Angeles Kings. "I look at that as a new possibility for him. He's got a chip on his shoulder that he never really had to have in his entire life. He was getting a lot of praise and now this is a new path and he's doing all the right things to come out on top in the end."
After scoring four times during a five game conditioning stint with the American Hockey League's Coachella Valley Firebirds, Wright returned to Seattle and scored his first NHL goal on Tuesday.
"It felt incredible," he said with a big smile. "Maybe a bit of a relief as well. Finally getting that first one, you know, eight games later. Yeah, pretty crazy feeling. Don't really remember much from the celebration. It was a pretty cool moment and something I'll remember for the rest of my life."
Wright insists there was no added motivation because the goal came against the Montreal Canadiens, who passed on him with the first overall pick. There was actually another thing motivating him.
"A little more of a chip on my shoulder after being down [to the AHL] for two weeks and wanting to make sure I came out strong in my first game back with Seattle to prove something," he said, "to prove that I belonged there."
Wright is averaging a team-low eight minutes and 29 seconds of ice time in eight games with Seattle this season. However, the Burlington, Ont., native feels like he's turned a corner.
"Being able to play some big minutes in Coachella and obviously scoring my first [NHL] goal as well is a big momentum [booster] and big for my confidence."
Wright should gain more confidence at the World Juniors where he will be a headliner on Team Canada. He skated between returning players Brennan Othmann of the Peterborough Petes and Joshua Roy of the Sherbrooke Phoenix at Friday's practice.
"He's always been a pro since the day I met him," said Clarke. "I was like, 'Holy crap, this guy's 13 years old and he's a machine.' He took it on the chin [at the draft]. He handled it well. He did all the right things. He didn't pout about it. He's like, 'I'm going to make it the best situation it can be.' He was determined. He was like, 'I'm going to make this [Kraken] roster. I'm still going to be an NHL player this year.' And that's what he did so all credit to him. He's going to have an amazing career."
"Shane's going to be a great NHLer," agreed Othmann, a New York Rangers prospect. "I think he's going to play 1,000 games in the NHL. He's going to be a captain in the NHL. That's just Shane Wright for you."
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Wright, Clarke and Othmann also teamed up to help Canada win gold at the 2021 under-18 World Championship. Before that, they played for the Don Mills Flyers in the GTHL and won an OHL Cup title in 2019.
"We're finally back on the same team," said Wright. "Two of my best buds in the world."
"It means the world," said Clarke. "I wasn't sure we'd ever get a reunion like this ... We did a lot of winning back in the day and hopefully we can rekindle that."
"This is kind of our last go-around," Othmann said. "It should be super fun and super exciting."
Othmann scored the overtime winner at the 2019 OHL Cup final. Wright got the primary assist. They were back at it on Friday afternoon in Moncton.
"It feels good," Othmann said. "We're looking for each other at all times. I mean, even on breakouts and stuff like that we're always trying to look for each other and trying to build that chemistry because you never know what happens in the next few days. We may end up playing with each other. We may not. But, if we do, I know that we'll produce a lot of offence just because of our chemistry and how well we read off each other. We skate together in the summer. That chemistry will never go away. I think just how well we read off each other and how well we think the game, it's just going to be very deadly if we play together."
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Wright got a two-game taste of the World Juniors last December. Othmann won gold in the summer. But Clarke wasn't invited to either event.
"It was frustrating," he admits. "I thought I could have been one of the top players last Christmas and in the summer, but it just didn't play out that way. It wasn't the way they wanted to go. I took that in stride, though. I decided I wanted to make an NHL team out of camp. I wanted to make the Kings. And that's what I did. I definitely took it the right way. I did all the things I needed to do to make that possible and now it comes full circle. I got to do that and I get to do this. It's cool. I'm looking forward."
Clarke pauses for a moment when asked if he received any feedback from Hockey Canada. Does he know why he was left out last season?
"No," he said. "You know what, no. Not really ... There wasn't, 'You need to do this. You need to do that.'"
How did he know what to work on?
"I'm going to raise every part of my game," he said of his mindset. "I'm going to raise every part of my character. I'm going to raise every part of everything. So, that's what I did and if I didn't do that I wouldn't have made an NHL roster this year and if I didn't do that maybe I wouldn't be here right now. I never got told one specific reason or any specific reason even [though] I was doing well in the OHL at the time of the tournament. No one really told me anything. So, I was just like, you know, I'm going to elevate everything."
Clarke posted two assists in nine games with the Kings this season. He also produced a goal and an assist in a five-game conditioning stint with the AHL's Ontario Reign.
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Arizona Coyotes winger Dylan Guenther was also loaned to Team Canada for the World Juniors.
"I, honestly, didn't really think about it, actually," he said. "Playing with the [NHL] team you're not really thinking about anything else. I heard some rumblings and stuff and I started to think about it and then my GM [Bill Armstrong] told me and I was excited. It's hard to win and you don't always get a chance to win and win championships and we have a chance to do that."
Guenther was playing a bottom-six role with Team Canada when the plug got pulled on the December event. After a long playoff run with the Edmonton Oil Kings, an injury kept Guenther out of the summer redo. Like Wright, he returns to the World Juniors in a much different place.
"Just more complete," he said of his game.
Guenther credits Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny.
"He really likes complete players," Guenther said. "To play in his system you have to be able to play on both sides of the puck ... He talked to me and said being in those pressure situations and playing in all situations when you know the country's watching and the building's packed, that's special and you don’t always get that. I think it's important to have those experiences."
Tourigny was an assistant coach in Ostrava when Canada won the 2020 World Juniors. He served as head coach at the 2021 Edmonton bubble event where Canada won silver.
"A lot of practices and stuff we do here, we do in Arizona too," Guenther said.
Guenther has three goals and eight assists in 21 NHL games this season.
"He's a special player," said Team Canada head coach Dennis Williams. "Skill. Size. Speed. Composure with the puck. Ability to slow down a game. Just a real difference maker."
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Regina Pats centre Connor Bedard arrives at Canada's camp riding a 27-game point streak in the Western Hockey League. Pats linemate Tanner Howe offered TSN a behind-the-scenes look at what makes the 17-year-old tick. The following is an edited transcript of the interview.
TSN: What's Bedard like in the gym?
Howe: "He's an animal in the gym. He's always lifting more than other guys and doing extra reps just trying to be better than everyone else. It's awesome."
TSN: How strong is he?
Howe: "He doesn't get pushed off the puck too much. You don't see him get hit hard too much."
TSN: How's his chirping game?
Howe: "Really good, actually."
TSN: What's his best chirp this season?
Howe: "I remember him saying something about a guy's breath."
TSN: Like that he had bad breath?
Howe: "Yeah, it got me laughing."
TSN: He told me in the summer that you and him like to mess with the opposing goalie. How does that work?
Howe: "I started doing it at the start of the year and he kind of thought it was pretty funny. He wanted to team up and kind of do it. So, just trying to get under the skin of the goalie. Just [doing stuff] after whistles and maybe even snowing the goalie or something."
TSN: What's the best play you've seen Connor make this season?
Howe: "His through-the-legs goal in Swift Current. I mean, how quick he even thought of doing that. Like, I know if I got the puck there I'd just get it to the net and he goes through the legs and bar down. That's the best goal I've seen."
TSN: What's he like after games?
Howe: "He wants to win so bad. After a win, he's talking to us about what we need to do better for next game. He's getting us motivated. And, he takes it to heart when we lose."
TSN: Where has he gotten even better this season?
Howe: "His 200-foot game is something he's worked on and that's come a long way. And then taking no days off. I don't think I've ever seen him take a day off and that shows."
TSN: He doesn't take a day off?
Howe: "When we get a day off, he's always asking me to go shoot pucks or he'll be doing band workouts or workouts in his basement. He never takes a day off. It's crazy."
TSN: He's always working on his shot, right?
Howe: "Pretty much every day off we go to this shooting place and shoot pucks. After practice, he's out there with 100 pucks shooting. Always trying to get it better."
TSN: He had a four-goal game at the December World Juniors. He had four goals and four assists while winning gold in the summer. Any predictions for what he'll accomplish in Halifax?
Howe: "I expect big things. I can't wait to start watching."
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Sarnia goalie Ben Gaudreau missed Team Canada's opening practice due to a travel delay.
Canada will hold another practice on Saturday. There will then be games against uSports players on Sunday and Monday before the final cuts are made. Team Canada plans to carry 13 forwards, seven defencemen and two goalies, which means 10 players have to be released. Williams says all the cuts will come after Monday's game.