Next one Lookout - Shane Wright

[jjgallow]

Is Shane Wright the real deal?  Or should I have just skipped to Connor Bedard and posted about him?   Or will we end up all talking about Savoie or Lambert in 2022?

 

Looking ahead to future drafts, the Flames seem edging towards a rebuild and I'm hoping they can get he next one right in their new arena.

 

2020 looks ok-ish, 

2021 looks soso,

2022 .............................This looks like the next big draft in the NHL.   https://thehockeynews.com/news/article/three-headed-monster-meet-wright-savoie-and-lambert-the-next-great-draft-trio

2023  ....  Connor Bedard  (thread needs to be created on this guy too)

 

Hate to say it (not really), but I expect the Flames to be In-Play for 2022 and 2023 picks with current age and direction of their roster and pipeline considered.   If they were smart they'd already have traded for additional picks in 2022 and 2023.

 

His first year of exceptional status not wasted   (thanks for fact check crzydrver)

https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=227271

 

These numbers already eclipse those of Connor McDavid, to put it that way.   Whether they eclipse those of Crosby is harder to say.

 

As a big Right-Hand shot Center, it's hard not to like what's happening here.

 

Will this thread grow like the Connor McDavid thread?  Or fade like the Lefrenier one?    IMHO at this stage both Wright and Bedard look to be legit, which can obviously change in a hurry.

 

More importantly, will the Flames get one of these right?    joking not joking

 

Thoughts?

 

[Thebrewcrew]

Too early for Bedard, he hasn't played a shift in junior yet. I'd say he will be great, because he was granted exceptional status and the WHL has never before granted it. But he could be McDavid, or he could be Sean Day, he's only 15 years old after all. 

 

 

The way the lotto is I wouldn't get my hopes up, especially if you are of the belief that the Flames will be junk in a couple seasons.

3 of the last 4 seasons, the last place team has fallen all the way to 4th. 

 

What hurt the rebuild was they essentially went 2/14 in the 2013 and 2014 drafts. Monahan was and still is the right pick, Bennett was at the time, but both sides have ultimately failed. Outside of the top pick though, the Flames drafted terribly in those drafts. Fortunately, they have drafted better later in the draft in recent years

 

 

[jjgallow]

5 hours ago, Thebrewcrew said:

Too early for Bedard, he hasn't played a shift in junior yet. I'd say he will be great, because he was granted exceptional status and the WHL has never before granted it. But he could be McDavid, or he could be Sean Day, he's only 15 years old after all. 

 

 

The way the lotto is I wouldn't get my hopes up, especially if you are of the belief that the Flames will be junk in a couple seasons.

3 of the last 4 seasons, the last place team has fallen all the way to 4th. 

 

What hurt the rebuild was they essentially went 2/14 in the 2013 and 2014 drafts. Monahan was and still is the right pick, Bennett was at the time, but both sides have ultimately failed. Outside of the top pick though, the Flames drafted terribly in those drafts. Fortunately, they have drafted better later in the draft in recent years

 

 

 

Yeah good points.  Well, 2022 has the "triple headed monster" so it's likely going to be harder to fail at the draft that year, lotto or not.     Doesn't mean teams won't fail lol.

 

Monahan and Bennett really were the best picks.    Did we do the best job at developing our prospects I'm not so sure.    And if we didn't get those two right there's a pretty good chance we messed up longer shots later in the draft.  I was happy with our picks in recent years, but our development is still quite the mess imho.

 

Very early on Bedard yes.

[Crzydrvr]

14 hours ago, jjgallow said:

Shane Wright being the first player to be granted exceptional status in the WHL

 

Just to factcheck, Bedard is the player you speak of in this quote.

 

To answer your query, as far as I've seen Wright is the real deal. Is he McDavid? I don't know yet. I do think he's a slightly better player than Savoie at this point in time, but they're two different types of players. Wright is more forceful, take charge whereas Savoie is more of a cerebral, savvy take what I can get type of player.

 

I will say that Wright had a huge production bump playing with Martin Chromiak after the trade which boosted his numbers, but I do see him as being a guy who will drive play. I feel like McDavid (and Crosby, and Ovie, and...) is the type of player to produce regardless of linemates, and we're going to see soon whether Wright has that same ability.

 

I don't know if Bedard is the same level of prospect, he had a very favorable situation at West Van that contributed to his lofty numbers. I also think he's a little underdeveloped for the junior game and unlike Wright is not likely to hit 6 feet or taller. But he has all the skills to be an instant PPG player in the Dub.

[jjgallow]

7 hours ago, Crzydrvr said:

 

Just to factcheck, Bedard is the player you speak of in this quote.

 

To answer your query, as far as I've seen Wright is the real deal. Is he McDavid? I don't know yet. I do think he's a slightly better player than Savoie at this point in time, but they're two different types of players. Wright is more forceful, take charge whereas Savoie is more of a cerebral, savvy take what I can get type of player.

 

I will say that Wright had a huge production bump playing with Martin Chromiak after the trade which boosted his numbers, but I do see him as being a guy who will drive play. I feel like McDavid (and Crosby, and Ovie, and...) is the type of player to produce regardless of linemates, and we're going to see soon whether Wright has that same ability.

 

I don't know if Bedard is the same level of prospect, he had a very favorable situation at West Van that contributed to his lofty numbers. I also think he's a little underdeveloped for the junior game and unlike Wright is not likely to hit 6 feet or taller. But he has all the skills to be an instant PPG player in the Dub.

 

Doh!  thank you for the fact check.  I've corrected it and thrown in a thank you.     

 

Reading this it sounds like you're highest on Wright versus the other contenders and not giving it all to Wright either.  Which is totally fair.  Surprising a bit as I've heard the opposite giving more emphasis on Bedard.   I'm not as worried about the height thing, if my calcs are correct he's on pace to be 5'10, 5'11 and at that point it just depends on his overall build whether he can translate to the NHL.   It's a crapshoot at his age too, he could easily come in at 6'2.  But the favorable situation in West Van I didn't know about.

[Crzydrvr]

8 hours ago, jjgallow said:

 

Doh!  thank you for the fact check.  I've corrected it and thrown in a thank you.     

 

Reading this it sounds like you're highest on Wright versus the other contenders and not giving it all to Wright either.  Which is totally fair.  Surprising a bit as I've heard the opposite giving more emphasis on Bedard.   I'm not as worried about the height thing, if my calcs are correct he's on pace to be 5'10, 5'11 and at that point it just depends on his overall build whether he can translate to the NHL.   It's a crapshoot at his age too, he could easily come in at 6'2.  But the favorable situation in West Van I didn't know about.

 

Yeah, if I had to order them right now, it'd be Wright > Bedard > Savoie, although with 2-3 years a lot can change. Size isn't everything, but a 6'1" forward with elite hands and skating is more likely to be a higher level asset than a 5'10" forward with the same skills. The 2004, 2005 and 2006 birth years have a number of really promising players, so even this ranking can easily change as other players hit their development curves.

 

West Van was an average team this year, very top heavy with 5-6 really good players, and so Bedard and the top line got a ton of minutes, the green light to burst the zone and the majority of power play time. I don't blame the coaches because it won them games, but I want to wait until we see him be pushed both offensively and defensively before I put him up there. He wasn't really challenged this season and that's a testament to his pure skill, but I have always believed in the concept of a complete player and Wright has at least proven he can contribute in better leagues.

 

Savoie was just as good if not better than Wright at the Canada Winter Games and U17 WCs which are the only times we've been able to compare them side by side, but I don't know if he has the same tools and they play so differently it can be hard to judge effectiveness comparably. He also has a longer development curve and wasn't as impactful against tougher more physical defenders in the WHL.

 

I would say that all 3 look like MacKinnon level prospects at worst, and easily could be better by the time 2022 rolls around. I would even make a hard argument that Bedard and Wright are a step above MacKinnon at the same age. Savoie looks worse because of the team and his role but he has arguably more skill than Wright, who is more polished than the Dub guys.