Seattle Kraken assign Shane Wright to AHL’s Coachella Valley

The Seattle Kraken have announced that Shane Wright has been assigned to the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds for the remainder of the season.

Wright is eligible to join the AHL club now that Wright’s OHL’s season with Windsor has concluded.

This will be Wright’s second trip to the Firebirds after scoring four goals in five games on a conditioning stint earlier this year. That was after the Kraken kept him as a healthy scratch for an extended period last fall after recording just one assist in seven games. He returned to score against Montreal before heading to Canada’s World Junior Championship training camp in early December.

It’s been a whirlwind season for Wright, who was taken fourth overall by the Kraken last year. He had a point-per-game through seven games at the World Junior Championship before returning to the OHL. The Kingston Frontenacs traded him to Windsor, where he had 15 goals and 37 points in 20 games to close out the regular season. He then had a quiet playoff round, scoring once and adding two assists in a 4-0 sweep by the Kitchener Rangers.

Wright was the projected No. 1 pick last year, but after falling to No. 4 – and then seeing his struggles through the first half of the 2022-23 season – some questioned if Wright’s stock had fallen too much. This will give him a chance to get back to playing against men before making another attempt at joining the Kraken for 2022-23.

Coachella Valley is second in the AHL’s Pacific Division standings with three games remaining, sitting at a 47-15-5-2 record. They’re three points behind the Calgary Wranglers for first in the division, with a shot at overtaking them before the season comes to a close.

The Firebirds will host the Ontario Reign on Wednesday before finishing the weekend with a pair of games against the Bakersfield Condors.