Shane Wright is developing quickly, and this could be his last ride with the Firebirds

Last spring, the jury was still out about whether star prospect Shane Wright would indeed become the elite player the Seattle Kraken believed he would be when they drafted him fourth overall in the 2022 NHL Draft.

The Toronto area native had played just a handful of games with the Kraken, and a few more with its American Hockey League affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, when he was reassigned to the Firebirds for a 2023 Calder Cup Playoff run. Still a teenager, Wright had spent the season playing junior hockey and during the Firebirds’ run to the Calder Cup Finals, he scored two goals in 24 postseason appearances.

Wright then went home to the shores of Lake Ontario for the summer months before heading to Seattle for Kraken training camp last September, with plenty still to prove.

Fast forward seven months and it’s evident that Wright — a 6-foot, 198-pound center — has adjusted to the pro game so quickly that it appears all but certain that this year’s postseason will likely be Wright’s last with the Firebirds.

During a recent stint with the Kraken, Wright, now 20, scored four goals in five games. That included a two-goal, one-assist game in a 3-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks on April 5. Though it’s a small sample size, Wright’s scored on 33.3% of his shots. No other Kraken player is above 20% for the season.

It was Wright’s defining moment so far as a pro and comes on the cusp of what is expected to be another Firebirds’ postseason run.

“It is a small sample size,” Firebirds director of hockey operations Troy Bodie said. “But it really validates what he can be at the next level.”

The Kraken like three things about Wright, in particular, Bodie said. The Kraken like his elite shot-making ability, his superior skating and the organization also views him as a high-character individual.

It can’t hurt that Wright has been workmanlike and unselfish about his development. He said in January that one thing he is emphasizing in his development is to simply make the right play every time he touches the puck. While he’s known for the shot that he showed off during his recent NHL stint, at the foundation of everything he’s doing is to simply make the best decision for the team, within the flow of the game.

“I’m just trying to make the right play at the right time,” Wright said. “Whether that’s pass or that’s shoot or whatever that is.”

Though still among the youngest on the Firebirds’ roster, Wright is fourth on the team this season with 20 goals. He’s seventh with 25 assists.

Even when he doesn’t score, Wright has drawn considerable attention from opponents when he skates with the puck through the neutral zone. His game commands that respect, which draws opponents and opens up space in the offensive zone for teammates.

“He’s a big part of this team being good,” Firebirds head coach Dan Bylsma said, “and this team being able to score a lot of goals.”

Since Wright has returned to the Firebirds from his most recent stint with the Kraken, Bylsma added, the rookie’s ability to more quickly process the action on the ice has been evident. The game is slowing down for him, and he’s seeing things on the ice before they happen.

For those watching Wright closely, it’s like seeing a future NHL star grow and develop in real time. He came to the Coachella Valley a lump of talent and raw potential just 12 months ago. The experience and confidence he’s gaining is mixing with his potential and fans and teammates are seeing the results.

“I mean, you look at his raw talent, his shot, his skating and the way he sees the ice is pretty incredible,” Coachella Valley blueliner Jimmy Schuldt said. “He’s taken a huge stride just playing both ends of the ice.”

Schuldt added: “It’s fun to watch.”

Perhaps no AHL team has benefitted from the play of its rookies this season as much as the Firebirds. Ryan Winterton has 22 goals. Logan Morrison has 15, including four in shootouts. Ville Ottavainen, Jacob Melanson, Tucker Robertson and Jani Hyman have all had big moments as well this season.

Winterton and Morrison, who also hail from the Toronto area, played together for three years in juniors and occasionally against Wright. But while they’ve known Wright for years, even they still marvel at his continual development.

“He’s always been really good,” said Winterton, who joked that Wright was a pain to play against. “But you see him mature, and he just keeps getting better and better and more NHL ready.”

Last spring, during the Calder Cup Playoffs, the Firebirds’ postseason run was a bit of a proving ground for some Coachella Valley players. Goaltender Joey Daccord recorded back-to-back shutouts in the Calder Cup Finals — something that hadn’t been done in 84 years — and it surely helped him move into a starring role with the Kraken this season.

Rookies Tye Kartye and Ryker Evans also used the Firebirds’ run as an audition that landed them with the Kraken this season.

Now, it’s Wright who has that opportunity in front of him. After years of playing juniors, participating for Canada in international play, shuffling from Seattle to Toronto to the Coachella Valley and back around multiple times, Wright has largely been able to stay in one place this season and focus on his game.

The Firebirds, this postseason, should be the beneficiaries of that.

“Sometimes you have to progress your game and gain confidence at this level,” Schuldt said. “It’s never a bad thing that a guy like that doesn’t start off as a full-time NHLer.

“He’s going to (get) there for sure.”

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: Kraken prospect Shane Wright could be on his last ride with the Firebirds