Shane Wright: after a big start, he’s producing in slow motion in the AHL

Much like Brady Tkachuk is now, Shane Wright is still a name that will be linked to the Habs. After all, the Tricolore turned their nose up at Wright, who was almost consensually seen as the top prospect in the last draft, in order to draft Juraj Slafkovský at No. 1. It’sstill far too early to know if the CH will have been right, but clearly, the two will always be linkedin one way or another.

After spending the bulk of his season in junior, Wright is now back in the AHL to help the Coachella Valley Firebirds (the Kraken’s training club) on their playoff run. Yesterday, the Firebirds won the first game of their three-game series against the Tucson Roadrunners, but Wright was blanked from the scoresheet, and what’s noticeable is that his time in the AHL this season has really been a two-step process. After scoring four goals in his first three games, he hasn’t found the target in his last five.

Y’all were hyping up Shane Wright for his 4 goals in his first 4 AHL games (on 5 shots)

Where’s that energy now???? 2 assists in his last 5, 0 goals on 12 shots in that span 😨 – The Habitant (@the_habitant) April 20, 2023

It’s important to note, however, that the youngster registered two assists during that span. It’s far from the end of the world (especially as the sample is small), but it’s a dip nonetheless. Of those five games, four of them were played during his current stint with the Firebirds (the first having been played during his first stint). He played in the team’s last three regular-season games, and played again last night, this time in a playoff context.Is his junior season starting to sink in, to the point where he’s perhaps missing some legs? It’s possible. The good news for Wright is that the Firebirds look set to make a deep run in the playoffs, so he may have time to start producing again.And in the worst-case scenario, he’s gaining experience that could be useful for his development.

In short

– let’s hope it doesn’t drag on for too long for the Lightning.

– What do you think?

– Nothing less.

– A huge shower of cold water on the Expos’ comeback. My text on the subject.

– The decision to play Marc-André Fleury last night continues to be the talk of the town.

NHL | The message is clear 🍋 https://t.co/hkQhigEXi7 @jic_tvasports

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) April 20, 2023