'Give Me More Fire for Sure'

MONTREAL - There are half-dozen podiums set up in a long corridor at the event level here at Bell Centre. First-round draft choices filled seats at podiums one after another, sitting in front of microphones to answer media questions.
No crowd of reporters, cameras and tripods was anywhere near as sprawling five-deep group spilling all around Podium 2 when the newest Kraken prospect, Shane Wright, arrived to field the inevitable questions about possible disappointment in not being selected No. 1 overall.
"I was drafted by a team with a lot of potential into a great city with a great fan base," said Wright, who smiled a lot during his 11-minute press conference.

He was not down, he was not struggling to choose words, he was straight-on professional even before he officially turns professional. He went straight to his answers to more than one question poking at any disappointment he might be hiding (not happening) and then started talking about how he looked forward to the Kraken's development camp that starts Monday.
"You obviously want to go first," said Wright, who, oh, by the way, notched 94 points (32 goals, 62 assists) in 63 regular-season games and added 14 points (three goals, 11 assists, including overtime series-winning goal) in 11 playoff contests. "It's definitely something every guy wants to go to do going into the draft. But you know, I couldn't happier being Seattle ... really excited about the future ahead in Seattle.

Kraken fans have to like the fact Wright brought up that he's "gonna have a chip on my shoulder" before any reporter framed it for a player who has been under the spotlight since he joined the elite junior Ontario Hockey League with the rare "exceptional status" to allow a 15-year-old to play in the OHL: Current NHLer who received the same exceptional status: Toronto star John Tavares, Edmonton superstar Connor McDavid and Florida elite defenseman Aaron Ekblad.
"I've always been self-motivated," said Wright. "I am always going to push myself internally, but [getting picked fourth overall] is definitely going to give me a little more fire for sure."
When asked the same question another way, Wright didn't waver: "I achieved the dream of being drafted to an amazing team ... it's been my goal for my whole life. I am honored to be drafted by Seattle."
Wright smiled when asked about becoming a teammate with 2021 first-round pick Matty Beniers, long time a foe in the faceoff circle in a multitude of memorable games between Team Canada and Team USA in championship tournaments.
"Now I can focus on other things, go to development camp," where he and Beniers will be on the same Kraken Community Iceplex practice rink. "You're learning, preparing for training camp [in September]. But you know I also want to soak this all in, the draft experience. We're fortunate to have a draft in person. Friends of mine weren't able to do that. I'm just trying to soak it all in."