Folks who follow the Seattle Kraken, myself included, expected Shane Wright to take another step in his development this season. Although the results have not surfaced yet, a deeper look at his analytics shows progress. It also highlights areas where the 21-year-old center still needs to grow.
Statistics are from MoneyPuck at 5-on-5 play unless otherwise noted.
The Wright stuff
Expected goals
Expected goals for (xGF) estimates how likely a shot is to become a goal based on shot type and location. While xGF models do not account for defenders or goaltenders, those real-world factors help explain why expected goals do not always match actual goals scored. Wright leads all Kraken skaters in xGF per 60 minutes at even strength at 0.95. Last season he posted 0.61, making this a significant jump.
In addition to leading the Kraken, Wright has been part of a line performing at the top of the NHL. Since Kaapo Kakko returned from injury, he has spent the most 5-on-5 time with Wright and Jani Nyman. The trio averages 7.79 xGF per 60 minutes, the highest mark in the NHL.
The sample size is small, but any time you are in the statistical neighborhood of players like Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Nikita Kucherov, and Jake Guentzel, it is worth noting. This has been Wright’s most frequent line combination, though the group has only logged just over 43 minutes at even strength. Expected goals are not actual goals, though, and the trio has only two goals to show for their strong underlying play.
Still, the line is generating offense and could spark production on a team struggling to score. In fact, it got on the board in the most recent game against Colorado.
Constant injuries have created a rotating cast of linemates for Wright, making chemistry difficult to build. Wright has played on 12 different line combinations, the most among Kraken centers. Chandler Stephenson has played on 10 combinations, Freddy Gaudreau has been on seven, and Matty Beniers six.
Blocked shots
Wright continues to sacrifice his body, ranking third in Kraken forwards in blocked shots. At 3.56 blocks per 60 minutes at even strength, he only trails Eeli Tolvanen at 4.17 and Berkly Catton at 3.61. What makes this notable is Wright starts just 5.6 percent of his shifts in the defensive zone, so when he is on defense, he’s doing a good job of getting in shooting lanes.
Blocking shots is not new to Wright’s game. He led Kraken forwards last season at 3.96 blocks per 60 when he had nearly double the percentage (10.8) of defensive-zone starts under former head coach Dan Bylsma.
Shots on goal
Although Wright only has six goals, one fewer than he had through 31 games last season, he is generating more shots on goal. Last season he averaged 4.91 shots on goal per 60 minutes. This season he has increased that number by 32.2 percent to 6.49. Just as important, his overall shot attempts have remained consistent, rising from 11.01 per 60 minutes last season to 11.88 this year. The result is a higher share of those attempts reaching the net.
Wright is also getting into better scoring areas. MoneyPuck defines rebound shots as attempts within three seconds of a previous shot. Wright recorded seven rebound shots all of last season. Through 31 games, he already has 12, which leads Kraken forwards.
The (W)right opportunities
As Wright continues his development, a few areas could still use some attention. First, let’s look at his line deployment. Coaches choose matchups based on face-off location and opponent, directing players to start shifts in the offensive, neutral, or defensive zones. Wright has been deployed in the offensive zone 17.9 percent of the time, 15.3 percent in the neutral zone, and just 5.6 percent in the defensive zone at 5-on-5. The rest of his shifts, 61.2 percent, start on-the-fly while the puck is in play. In theory, on-the-fly shifts tend to begin when the Kraken have puck possession or after a dump-in.
Given that Wright starts most often in the offensive zone, strong possession numbers would be expected. Corsi measures shot attempts for and against while a player is on the ice, with 50 percent representing an even split. Wright sits at 49 percent, meaning opponents generate more shot attempts than Seattle when he is on the ice. That is notable given his favorable deployment.
Sound Of Hockey’s Darren Brown spoke with head coach Lane Lambert about this topic after a practice earlier this week in the context of Chandler Stephenson, whose analytics are consistently poor.
Darren asked:
“Chandler Stephenson, with the publicly available analytic models on him, it never shows very kindly. What doesn’t show up in those models that kind of makes you rely on him as much as you do?”
Lambert said:
“Face-offs, he plays against the other team’s best players every night, he always gets the toughest matchups. So, it’s easy to sit back and look at the analytics, and you would like them to be a little better, sure. If we played him down in the third line, he’d have great analytics, probably. So you’ve got to keep it in perspective here. This guy plays a ton of minutes for us, he does a ton of things for us, and they’re hard minutes.”
This piece focuses on Wright, but Lambert’s response is a reminder of how usage and matchups can skew metrics. Lambert notes Stephenson would likely post stronger analytics in a third-line role. By the same logic, Wright’s numbers are benefiting from easier matchups compared to veterans handling heavier defensive assignments.
Face-offs and giveaways
Face-offs and giveaways help explain this. Wright has won 39.3 percent of his face-offs, last among Kraken centers. He posted 43.5 percent last season. Face-off winning percentages do not tell you everything about possession, but with a sub-50 Corsi, it suggests opponents gain control more often.
Giveaways are another area for improvement. Wright led the Kraken forwards with 65 giveaways last season in all situations. He currently has 30 and is on pace for 79, an increase over last year’s mark. Wright may be trending toward another high giveaway season, but he has been spared the top spot so far, with Mason Marchment at 38.
More concerning, Wright leads all Kraken forwards in defensive-zone giveaways (12) despite rarely starting shifts there. These totals are not normalized for ice time, but Wright ranks ninth among forwards at 14 minutes per game, and the tendency may be contributing to his continued third-line usage.
After practice on Dec. 14, Piper Shaw asked Wright what he has been focusing on personally.
“I think just consistency overall. I mean, playing well with the puck, I feel like, [I’ve been better] offensively and creating chances, and I think just being able to be [trusted] a little more defensively, stronger plays in the zone, in my own end, stuff I can clean up a little bit. But yeah, just trying to keep trending in the right direction.”
Still room to grow
It is no secret the Kraken have struggled offensively, scoring just 2.48 goals per game, dead last in the NHL. They also rank last by a wide margin in total goals scored (77), though they have played the fewest games (31) in the NHL. Generating offense remains a priority.
Fans often look at players like Connor Bedard or Macklin Celebrini and hope for a similar breakout from one of Seattle’s prospects. That is not a fair or realistic benchmark for most young players. Development is rarely linear. Wright turns 22 on Jan. 5 and still has room to grow. Patience remains necessary, but the analytics point to positive progress. If the Kraken can stay healthy and find stable lines, Wright’s production may soon reflect the improvement happening less visibly.
Blaiz Grubic
Blaiz Grubic is a contributor at Sound Of Hockey. A passionate hockey fan and player for over 30 years, Blaiz grew up in the Pacific Northwest and is an alumni of Washington State University (Go Cougs!). When he’s not playing, watching, or writing about hockey, he enjoys quality time with his wife and daughter or getting out on a golf course for a quick round. Follow @blaizg on BlueSky or X.