Article author:
Canadian press
Joshua Clipperton
Shane Wright was doing his best to stay fit.
He also thought it was time to diverge in the face of so much downtime.
When the COVID-19 pandemic collapsed and eventually stole the entire 2020-21 season, the teen Hoccaseter lived in Burlington, Ontario, working on his strength, speed and skating. I was there. Allowed against the backdrop of strict health and safety restrictions.
Between long and lonely training sessions, Wright started his hobby in the garage of his family's two cars.
"He's there almost every day and hits golf balls," said Shane's dad, Simon Wright. "It's a frustrating game ... it frustrated him. He actually set up the net. It was like -20 (Celsius) outside. He literally tried to stay healthy and at the same time during the pandemic. I was trying to learn and master golf.
"He's actually pretty good ... just kick my butt."
A talented playmaking center. Shane Wright has been overkill and demanding both himself and others since he was first introduced to the sport.
Even 3 years old in the community field.
"If people don't know the rules or other kids aren't playing properly, he'll be completely angry," Shane's mother, Tanya Wright, said to her husband. Said with a laugh in the interview. Canadian press. "I literally had to pull him apart and knock him down on the grass because of a timeout.
" I was really embarrassed. "
The urge, the passion, the desire may have been rubbed the wrong way in the early days of Shane Wright.
It also headed for Kingston Frontenax to the pinnacle of his name being called early and perhaps first within the Bell Center on Thursday when the NHL team began selecting in the league's first face-to-face draft. Helped me move forward. 2019.
But the process was not straight.
A phenomenon in the arena of the entire growing Greater Toronto area, Wright was given an extraordinary position to play in the Ontario Hockey League as early as 15 years old — a short exemption from the past. The list includes Connor McDavid and John Tavares — prior to the 2019-20 campaign, eventually shortened by Pandemic.
After that, OHL couldn't start the 2020-21 schedule, so he couldn't play at all next season. Some of the top Canadian hockey league talents tried to join European and American teams for game action, but Wright remained.
"We were like,'Would you like to send him somewhere?'" "Simon Wright remembered. "But at the same time, you believed that something would work (at OHL).
" By January (2021), we knew there was no hope. Positioned as an opportunity to grow in other areas. "
Apart from growing in the gym and expanding the skill set on ice, Shane Wright has other interests, including golf away from the rink. I made an effort to pivot myself towards.
"It was definitely hard not to play last year," he said. "I really tried to focus on things to get my head off hockey.
" That was what I really kept in mind ... just a few of them. Find the moment. "
Wright also picks up the guitar and sends a short video clip of the song he learned to his family.
"I'm always working on hockey," continued the 6-foot 199-pound Wright. "But it's also very important to find something like getting away from hockey and away from the game."
This fall, when OHL was restored and up and running, his mind returned to competition. However, the late start raised questions about Wright's status as the No. 1 consensus pick in 2022.
"It was hard, no doubt," said Tanya Wright, a high school teacher. "As parents, we probably felt (stressed) faster than Shane, because you always want the best for your kids, and eventually he begins to feel it. "
Added SimonWright:" He didn't forget how to play the game. "
Shane stabilized the ship and world junior hockey. I made a Canadian team at the championship. Due to an increase in coronavirus cases, the event was abruptly closed and pushed in August, but after returning to Kingston, the COVID-19 test was positive. ..
"Definitely some disappointment," Wright said. "You have to find a positive from those experiences."
The 18-year-old boy scored 35 goals in 74 regular seasons and playoff games with Frontenac from 2021 to 22. I got 108 points including 73 assists.
"He had to overcome a lot," said Simon Wright, an account manager in the business world. "He said," Screw this in. Screw it in. According to NHL Central Scouting, Wright remains one of the top ranks of North American skaters available in the draft.
There is no guarantee, but Montreal The Canadians, along with 2022 Olympic star Slovak winger Juraj Slavkovsky and Logan of the US National Team Development Program Center, call his name when he wins the top pick at Homelink. Cooley is also talking.
"I'm still a player," Wright scored 14 points in five contests last spring to help Canada win gold medals in the world under the age of 18. Said. "A year off from the game doesn't mean you're not skating, it doesn't mean you're getting worse."
But this past season has been a big change for the family. Every game, every shift, was analyzed and felt like it was being analyzed on social media.
That's probably because it was.
"We have deleted Twitter," says Simon Wright. "It's out of control."
"I wasn't ready," Tanya added. "If all the kids were scouted to the same extent as Shane, you could pull any player apart.
" It was really amazing. "
But , They were also impressed with how their son treated the spotlight.
Tanya recalled the aftermath of Kingston's defeat, which Shane was still drawing attention from fans seeking autographs.
"We were in a bad mood," she said. "I said,'He has never spent time with his family.' Shane said, "Mom, okay. I got this."
"Wow, he understands what he can handle." It seems that. This spring, one morning in Kingston's playoff game, a program asking if a team of young people will face time to talk about adversity.
It would have been easy to get rid of the request, but he was happy to help.
"I can't believe it," Simon Wright said. "He's experienced so much that he's sacrificing his own preparation, big game preparation time, to support the kids.
" And he's them It's special if you can help. "
Wright is confident that the rocky road that Shane faced (mainly since the beginning of the pandemic) will help him move forward. increase.
Under these unique circumstances, he was the only one to get this level of attention.
"I don't want to say that things won't get worse," Simon Wright explained. "But he experienced almost everything you could imagine about adversity about what he tried in this game."
Shane Wright said that the biggest lesson of his journey was: He said that he should never take for granted.
It's not a game. It's not a shift.
"I don't know when something will be stolen," he said. "Use it every second. Soak it all and enjoy it.
" Let the rest take care of you. "
In his story The next chapter, the one with lots of ups and downs so far, is about to begin.
This report by Canadian Press was first published on July 1, 2022.
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