It’s just an assist, but there’s probably a little velvet in the heart of Seattle Kraken forward Shane Wright, who became the first player drafted to score a point in the National Hockey League (NHL) in 2022.
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Long considered the logical first choice, Wright had seen Juraj Slafkovsky, Simon Nemec and Logan Cooley be picked ahead of him by the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils and Arizona Coyotes, respectively, on July 7 at Bell Center. By simply grazing the puck on a play that resulted in a goal from teammate Ryan Donato on Wednesday night, Wright broke the ice in his third career game.
“It sure is a beautiful moment,” said Wright, quoted on the NHL website after the Kraken’s 4-3 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues. With every game I feel safer and more comfortable. It’s part of learning.”
With the Canadiens, Slafkovsky was a non-scorer in his first four games. Nemec, a defenseman, currently plays with the Utica Comets in the American League, while Cooley has chosen to continue his development at the University of Minnesota in the NCAA.
A tenacious team
Despite the overtime loss to the Blues, head coach Dave Hakstol was also pleased with Wright and his other players on Wednesday night. It has to be said that St. Louis led 3 to 1 at the end of the first period.
“We played a good game of hockey,” he agreed. There were a few small turnovers for two or three minutes in the first third, but the players regrouped and played a full game. Our team fights, competes and performs. We play with rhythm and tenacity.
In five games this season, the Kraken are 1-2-2. Seattle’s next game is scheduled for Friday in Denver against the Colorado Avalanche.