Kraken assign Wright to OHL Kingston

The Seattle Kraken assigned forward Shane Wright to the OHL's Kingston Frontenacs on Friday.

Wright is fresh off captaining Canada to a gold medal at the world juniors in Halifax. He notched four goals and three assists - including a tally in the championship game - at the tournament.

"We're very proud of Shane's performance at the World Juniors, helping captain Team Canada to a gold medal," Kraken general manager Ron Francis said. "He has a bright NHL career ahead of him with the Kraken and now has an opportunity to lead his junior team as they compete for a Memorial Cup. We look forward to watching him the rest of this season and wish him well."

Kingston is likely to trade Wright to an OHL contender, according to TSN's Chris Johnston. The Frontenacs are currently fifth in the Eastern Conference with 36 points.

Wright put up 94 points in 63 games as Frontenacs captain last season, leading to Seattle drafting him fourth overall in 2022. The 19-year-old pivot has bounced around a fair amount in his rookie year. He started the season with the Kraken but played insignificant minutes and was often a healthy scratch. Wright was then assigned to the AHL on a conditioning stint in December and returned to the Kraken for one game before joining Canada's junior camp.

At the NHL level, Wright's managed one goal and one assist while averaging 8:29 per contest. Since he only played eight games, the first year of Wright's entry-level contract is eligible to slide into next season.