Firebirds forwards Shane Wright, Ryan Winterton recalled by Seattle Kraken

It's Shane Wright time once again in Seattle.

Wright, who was drafted fourth overall in the 2022 NHL Draft, has been recalled by the Seattle Kraken after Jordan Eberle lacerated one of his legs on a skate blade Wednesday in practice. Wright, 19, began the 2023-24 season with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, scoring four goals and recording a pair of assists in seven games.

Ryan Winterton, the Kraken's third round draft pick in 2021, also has been recalled by the Kraken. Winterton, 20, has scored three goals and tallied two assists this season for the Firebirds, the Kraken's American Hockey League affiliate. This will be Winterton's first assignment in the NHL.

Wright and Winterton will join Devin Shore, who was re-assigned to Seattle last month, as current Kraken players who began the season with the Firebirds. The moves were announced Wednesday, two hours before the Firebirds took the ice to face the San Diego Gulls inside Acrisure Arena.

Firebirds head coach Dan Bylsma said that he was surprised by the Kraken only because it came at 2 p.m. Wednesday, just hours before a Firebirds game. But he said that he wasn't surprised that Winterton was recalled for his first NHL action.

“How Ryan has played in the first seven games, he’s showed really well," Bylsma said. "He’s played with Shane and they’ve been producing. The two games in San Jose, they were kind of the lead line in how we want to play, so it doesn’t surprise me from that regard.”

Bylsma said that calling Winterton to tell him that the Kraken have recalled him was one of the great moments of his career as a coach.

"It was a surprise at 1:58, when the phone rang, that there was going to be a call-up," Bylsma said, "but the call to Ryan Winterton was one of my best. He was complete shocked and overjoyed and you could feel the emotion go through his brain. 'I'm getting called up? Holy Christmas, I'm going to the National Hockey League.'

"It was one I'll never forget, but at the same time it's not one he shouldn't have expected. In a brief time here, he's shown what kind of player he is. It wasn't totally a shock to me, at 1:58, that that was the call I had to make."

The Kraken on Tuesday traveled to Denver, where Eberle's injury took place. Kraken general manager Ron Francis told The Seattle Times that Eberle suffered a deep cut near his quad muscle after Jaden Schwartz tripped over a puck and the blade on one of his skates cut Eberle.

Wright, one the NHL's top prospects, began last season with the Kraken as an 18-year-old. The 6-foot, 200-pound Burlington, Ontario native played eight NHL games, scoring one goal and adding one assist before being loaned to Canada's junior national team. On his 19th birthday, Wright led Canada to a gold medal at the 2023 World Junior Championships.

Wright finished the regular season playing juniors with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League before being assigned to the Firebirds for the Calder Cup Playoffs. Wright scored two goals and added seven assists in 24 postseason games for the Firebirds, playing all seven games of the Calder Cup Finals.

Wright was not one of the Firebirds' top players during that run, but he said that the playoff run was "huge" for his development as a player.

"I think I took that experience and took those games and built my confidence up a little bit," Wright said last month. "It was a lot of fun playing those games and I really benefited from it."

Wright has been much more active with the puck and appeared to be quicker on his feet this season. Entering Wednesday's game, Wright was tied with Firebirds' captain Max McCormick with the most goals on the team with four.

Wright did not make the Kraken's opening night roster to start the season, but after a strong start to the season he'll now get his second chance to stick.

He's had a bit of a whirlwind 12 months, from the start of last season in Seattle, back to Canada and then to the Coachella Valley for a stretch. He's recently had the chance to simply settle in and focus, and Bylsma said that it's made a huge difference in his game.

"I think that's a direct result of him having some continuity, having some stability, just getting to play hockey," Bylsma said. "Not worrying about the outside eyes and words and all that other stuff. He's just been focused on working on his game and being a player and that has showed."

Andrew John covers the Coachella Valley Firebirds for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Firebirds' Shane Wright, Ryan Winterton recalled by Seattle Kraken