Shane Story: ‘Wrighting’ His Next Chapter

There are several ways to project Shane Wright as trending up, potentially even way up, this season as he suits up for his second full NHL year at age 21. One simple dimension is his 11 goals in the final 31 games of 2024-25, a pace that flirts with a 30-goal season. If you choose Wright’s goal-scoring prowess after sitting out three games as a healthy last scratch last November, his 17 goals in 50 games similarly aligns with the 30-goal mark. There’s also the straightforward stat of finishing top-five among Kraken scorers with 19 goals and 25 assists for 44 points in 79 games.

By most expert accounts, most notably veteran teammates, Wright was deemed a top-five Seattle player in the final months of the season, with specific callouts to his never-quit forechecking and leading the team in power play goals with seven. One advanced stat worth noting: Wright averaged 2.03 points per 60 minutes of time on ice, qualifying him as top 75 across the NHL in that category and tucked between two acclaimed young forwards, San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini (2.04) and Los Angeles’ Quinton (2.0). The stat affords a different slant on scoring production based on how many shifts and minutes you play.

“What’s changed for Shane is he has a different mindset,” said Kraken GM Jason Botterill in his office this past week. “Last year, he came in working extremely hard to try to just make the team. Now he has the confidence that he's an NHL player. You see him making more plays out there, having more confidence with the puck.”

New coach Lane Lambert has been impressed daily with Wright and certainly was pleased with the young center’s poise in the team’s final preseason game during which he held the puck just that extra beat or two on an early-game power play, waiting for Edmonton penalty killers to swing his way in the deep left offensive zone before sending the puck cross ice to an locked-and-loaded Josh Mahura for a one-timer score.

“I think he's had a great camp,” said Lambert after the 4-2 home win preseason finale. “I have been very impressed with a lot of different areas of [Shane’s] game, intelligence level, responsibility level ... I've had an opportunity to really watch and notice how he plays a 200-foot game.”

Notably, Wright appears closely aligned to Lambert’s messaging and actions since the Kraken officially took to the ice on Sept. 18 for training camp. That can build confidence and belief and trust between the 2022 first-rounderfirst rounder (4th overall) and the coach.

“Camp has been good,” said Wright, stepping off the ice following a recent practice. “I really like his messaging, really like how he's getting everything across. He is someone you want to play for, you want to work for. And he means business, just to ensure everyone stays accountable. He's always positive as well, not putting guys down. He's supporting the positive, helping out. I’m really liking the support.”

Wright Stuff: Confidence and Commitment

Wright’s first full NHL season has boosted his mentality, especially those 50 games following a three-game “reset” as a healthy scratch, which included watching one game with Kraken president of hockey operations Ron Francis to reinforce how the way Seattle’s front office wants the forward to play and progress.

“Last season helped a lot,” said Wright. ‘It showed what it takes to play at this level and to have success in the NHL. I learned what I have to sustain and to really build my game to become an impact player. It definitely gives me a lot of confidence going into this year.”

Botterill made a point of commending Wright’s focus on training the last two summers, which included working out several times a week with renowned famed NHL fitness training guru and former player Gary Roberts in Toronto. Wright told “Signals from the Deep” podcast hosts Piper Shaw and JT Brown that he waited just two weeks before getting back in the gym for strength training last spring.

“Even though he is such a young age, he's realized the importance of off-season training,” said Botterill. “You look at the jumps that he's made in just his strength and fitness over the last couple summers, it’s very impressive.”

Kraken head coach for strength and conditioning, Nate Brookreson, confirms his GM’s assessment. “Shane set a new standard for himself,” said Brookreson. “He is smack dab among our top players in overall fitness ...fitness ... He has his lowest body fat and more lean mass than ever ... His speed and power capabilities are high-level. For a young guy, he has tremendous awareness of the recovery process while getting his training and biking in too...We talk almost daily during the season about long-term, short-term, and how he is progressing. If he is missing something on the ice, we collaborate on how to address it.”

Projecting 2025-26 for Wright

Botterill said he is looking for the Kraken center to be a significant contributor this coming year. Predicting a breakout season is not the GM’s wont, even if fans can reasonably anticipate more goals, assists, power play moves, and gritty 200-foot play from Wright.

“We always want to see an improvement from year to year,” said Botterill. “Shane’s put the time in. He's playing with the confidence of being a big part of our team. We certainly hope that he takes a step.”

With Lambert at the helm, Wright is clear that his 200-foot game is paramount. Being a good defender and increasingly being a center who can face opposing top lines is a primary goal for him, more so than putting a number against how many goals he aspires to score. Lambert’s defensive philosophy about getting the puck out of the Kraken zone, leading to more offense, is one of the messages resonating with Wright.

“My defensive game has taken a lot of strides, taking a lot of good steps forward,” said Wright. “A lot of that comes with experience and playing more, understanding the game at this level. I definitely have a better understanding after last season. It's something I really wanted to step up in my game coming into this year. It's a way to be on the ice more, a way to gain that trust from your coaches, especially the new coaching staff.”

The aforementioned Brown looks for Wright to build on his potential season over season, citing Wright’s proven ability to get better each pro year.

“He found success last year in many different ways,” said Brown on the “Signals of the Deep” podcast. “It was good to see that kind of jump. For this year, you're not asking, ‘Hey hey, how high of a jump are you gonna take?’ You want him to continue to progress and continue to grow within his game ... We're not asking, all of a sudden, ‘Hey, you need to get 75 points this year.’ It would be fantastic if he did ... it’s more, ‘What did you do well last year? Let's elevate it again. Be a great two-way forward defensively.’ He's been strong. We saw Shane get in on the penalty kill. We've seen him score on the power play. He has set himself up to get more opportunities this year. The guy works extremely hard. He’s a tireless worker. It’s all about taking that next step.”