The 18-year-old forward was the No. 4 pick in the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft.
"It was the overall fit and what the organization is building to," Wright said Tuesday after the Kraken's second day of development camp. "They are a new team, so they don't have as many prospects in the system as some other teams do. I feel it'll just give me a lot more opportunities, stepping in to make a difference right away. The potential ability to be part of a situation and be a building block and a huge piece in their team and the organization for the future was something that really excited me. Now that it finally worked out this way, I couldn't be happier."
Wright (6-foot, 185 pounds) was projected to be the No. 1 pick at the 2022 draft but was passed over by the Montreal Canadiens (Juraj Slafkovsky), New Jersey Devils (Simon Nemec) and Arizona Coyotes (Logan Cooley), which left him available for the Kraken at No. 4. He was eighth in the Ontario Hockey League with 94 points (32 goals, 62 assists), including 28 power-play points (eight goals, 20 assists), in 63 regular-season games with Kingston last season, and had 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in 11 playoff games.
"This is a big day for the Kraken," general manager Ron Francis said. "Shane's junior career speaks for itself and his skill and hockey sense in all three zones are special for someone his age. We see him as an important part of our future and are excited to officially sign him to his first NHL contract."
NHL.com independent correspondent Andy Eide contributed to this report
