Playing for Canadiens would be “unbelievable” says Wright
Shane Wright already knows what his name looks like on the back of a Montreal Canadiens jersey.
But has he ever thought about suiting up for the Original Six franchise?
He certainly has now.
Wright was asked at Canada’s National Junior Team Selection Camp on Thursday about whether or not he’d welcome playing for the Canadiens, and the 17-year-old didn’t shy away from endorsing the idea.
“I wouldn’t mind that, yeah,” Wright told TSN and RDS. “That’d be, honestly, an unbelievable place to play. It’s obviously such a storied franchise. I mean, it’s an unbelievable city. The fans are some of the best in the league as well, and I feel like it’d just be an unbelievable place to play.”
Shane Wright aimerait-il endosser l'uniforme du Canadien?👀
Sa réponse va certainement plaire aux partisans du Canadien😏 pic.twitter.com/hILu4w9WC7
— RDS (@RDSca) December 10, 2021
Wright is the consensus top pick for the 2022 NHL Draft to be held, coincidentally enough, at the Bell Centre in Montreal next July. He slots No. 1 in FCHockey’s Winter ranking for the 2022 draft, a position he’s held all season, and essentially since bursting onto the Ontario Hockey League scene as an ‘exceptional status’ player.
The Kingston Frontenacs standout got a glimpse of a potential Canadiens jersey, complete with name and number, before departing for Canada’s camp. A fan modified what appeared to be an old Scott Gomez jersey to depict Wright’s digit and and name bar.
“It’s pretty funny,” he said. “I heard someone banging the glass behind me. I looked back and saw a ‘Wright 51’ jersey on a Habs jersey. It was pretty funny.”
“Pretty funny someone got a picture of that as well.”
Where there’s a will, there’s a way 😅👀
This @CanadiensMTL fan is hoping projected #1 overall pick Shane Wright makes his way from Kingston to Montreal
Does it happen? 🤔
📸: evan_gleber8/Instagram pic.twitter.com/ApTVBVMJY6
— Hockey Night in Canada (@hockeynight) December 2, 2021
Wright has 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists) in 22 games for the Frontenacs this season, and helped Canada’s entry to gold at the 2021 IIHF World Under-18 Championship in Texas last spring.
He is expected to be named to Canada’s entry at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship later Sunday.