Meet Kraken Prospects Shane Wright & Ty Nelson

The 2021 NHL Season has come to an end which brought an end to the inaugural season for the Seattle Kraken. This also welcomed 2022 and the foray regular offseason for the Kraken. With plenty of draft picks and cap space, the Seattle Kraken set their sights on the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The Kraken accumulated 10 draft picks at the trade deadline of the 2021 season giving them a total of 12 picks for the 2022 draft. 

Seattle Kraken General Manager Ron Francis held the 4th, 35th, 49th, 58th, 61st, 68th, 91st, 100th, 123rd, 164th, and 196th selections for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Ron Francis and the Seattle Kraken staff made all 12 selections and have a wealth of young talent in the prospect pool going forward.

The 4th overall selection of the 2022 NHL Draft was supposed to be a player with tremendous upside and a ready-to-play athlete, but no one would have thought that Shane Wright of the Kingston Frontenacs would be available after the first three selections had been made. Well, Kraken fans it"s a reality as the exceptional status Ontario Hockey League forward fell from arguably the number one pick right into Seattle’s lap at number four overall. 

Shane Wright from Burlington, Ontario, Canada was granted exceptional status in the Ontario Hockey League, following three outstanding seasons with the AAA Don Mills Flyers in the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL). Exceptional status allowed Shane Wright to begin his major junior hockey career a year earlier than the normal age. In his final season of AAA Hockey Shane Wright tallied 150 points in 72 games played. Heading to the OHL Shane was eventually selected by the Kingston Frontenacs and wasted no time showcasing why he was ready to play in the Ontario Hockey League. 

During his rookie season in the OHL Shane Wright tallied 39 goals, and 27 assists for 66 points in 58 games played. He also played for the Canadian U-17 Team at the 2019 World Hockey Championship, he tallied 4 goals and 3 assists for seven points in 5 games. Then we were thrown into a nearly two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 Pandemic which shutdown the Ontario Hockey League for the 2020/2021 season. The 2021 World Junior Championship was able to begin in the bubble they created for all teams, Shane Wright made the Canadian World Juniors squad and 9 goals and 5 assists in five games. 

Post pandemic the Ontario Hockey League reopened and Shane Wright returned to the Kingston Frontenacs to begin the 2021/2022 season. The talented forward from Burlington, Ontario set career bests in assists and points as he tallied 32 goals and 62 assists for 94 points in 63 regular-season games. Shane would also add 3 goals and 11 assists for 9 points in 11 games during the playoffs.

Arguably Shane Wright was expected to be taken 1st Overall at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, the fact he fell to number four was shocking for many, and Shane let those three teams know he will remember this and told reporters "he will have a chip on his shoulder when he plays them." 

The Seattle Kraken took another impressive Ontario Hockey League player when they selected Defenceman Ty Nelson from the North Bay Battalion with the 68th overall selection in the 3rd round.

Ty Nelson was only able to play one season in the Ontario Hockey League due to the pandemic making the 2021/2022 season his rookie season. The physical and offensively talented defender tallied 9 goals and 42 assists in 66 games played for the Battalion. 

The Seattle Kraken selected five players from the Ontario Hockey League with their 12 selections, Ron Francis selected two players from the BCHL and one player from the Western Hockey League (WHL). Making it a total of 8 out of 12 players coming from North of the Border on route to the Seattle Kraken. 

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