Shane Wright: The lost year (COVID-19) affected his development enormously

The pandemic has forced the OHL to cancel its entire 2020-2021 season.

The year before, Shane Wright played his very first season in the circuit, aged 16…

And the 4th overall pick in the 2022 draft was excellent.

He was excellent to the point where his performances at that age gave him the edge as the top prospect in the draft, because few players can boast more points than him in the history of the league at under 16.

He’s part of a select group, tied with Connor McDavid for third place:

This, somehow, just serves as a reminder of how much COVID-19 hurt the development of certain players. Shane Wright seems to be one of the best examples to describe the situation.

The Kraken prospect didn’t do badly when the OHL resumed. He finished the season of his draft year with 94 points in 63 games, but it’s worth remembering that it took him a while to string together a string of offensive successes.

With a decent and normal development, I really wonder if Wright could have been a lock for the first pick in the draft. Because he showed, at 16, that he had the potential to become a real superstar in the NHL…

Of course, that’s true for Wright, and it’s true for every other prospect his age. Still, it’s an interesting point to make, because we sometimes seem to forget just how good he was when he entered junior.

After all, when your name is in the same category as John Tavares, Jason Spezza and Connor McDavid, it’s because you’re doing something good on the ice. But these guys never missed a full year of action, and now they’ve established themselves at some point in their careers as elite players in the National League.

All this to say that there’s no need to worry, at least for now, about Shane Wright and his progress. I have the impression that he might develop a little more slowly than the others, precisely because of his missed year due to the pandemic…

But the point remains the same. The kid has the potential to become one of the very best players on the Bettman circuit. Give him time, though.

Breaking news

– The best goalies of each decade.

– Makes sense.

– They’re going to be interesting to watch, Capitals.

– Good question. Where will Matt Dumba play next year?

– Still.