Kingston Frontenacs forward Shane Wright could be the top pick in the NHL draft
The Montreal Canadiens have officially scored the first pick in the NHL draft, and now all eyes have turned to whom they will choose.
While there are no guarantees, there's speculation that Kingston Frontenacs forward Shane Wright will be selected first overall.
"That’s the spot I want to be, that’s the spot where I believe I should be. I believe I know that I’m good enough," says Wright. "I believe based on my play this year, and in the past that I’m the best one in the draft class."
Originally from Burlington, Ont,, Wright was drafted by the Frontenacs in 2019, and granted exceptional player status to play on an OHL team a year early.
At just 15 years old, he was already on scouts' radars as a top NHL pick.
"You don’t see this very often where someone is pegged as a 15 year old, that they get exceptional status in the Ontario Hockey League, and they come in and stay in that spot until they are drafted," Lee Versage with TSN 1200’s 'The Drive' says.
"There’s the John Taveras, maybe the Aaron Ekblads of the world but not too many guys have done this like Shane Wright has."
He’s the youngest player ever to be named captain in Canadian Hockey League history. In 2021 he captained Team Canada to gold in the IIHF World U18 Championship.
In the NHL, he has the potential to be an elite two-way centre.
Versage says Wright has tough competition in fellow top prospect Juraj Slafkovsky for the number one draft.
"I think it’s going to be a tight race between Shane Wright and Slafkovsky for the Montreal Canadiens to decide but I don’t think there’s any doubt that if Shane Wright doesn’t go number one he will go number two," Versage says.
"I think the Montreal Canadiens are going to call his name come July.”
Kingston Frontenacs Head Coach Luca Caputi says Wright is a positive influence both on and off the ice.
"From an on-ice standpoint, he’s able to not only skate exceptionally well, but make plays, and sees the game through a different lens than other players," he explains.
The cancelled season under COVID last year was a difficult setback, and a slow start to the season has competition tight.
But in the lead up to the draft on July 7, all eyes will be on Wright.
"Montreal is an unbelievable franchise, an unbelievable city, with lots of history,” says Wright. "Original Six franchise, so it would be pretty cool to have the opportunity to be there, be a part of that franchise."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
NEW Iconic Canadian song turns 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Miss Teen USA steps down just days after Miss USA's resignation
Miss Teen USA resigned Wednesday, sending further shock waves through the pageant community just days after Miss USA said she would relinquish her crown.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Whooping cough outbreak declared in Newfoundland
Health officials say there is an outbreak of whooping cough in eastern Newfoundland.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.
NEW How Canadians can watch the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest
Europe’s top pop stars are out and about for the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, taking place in Malmo, Sweden.
Pearson gold heist suspect arrested after flying into Toronto from India
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.