Kingston Frontenacs forward Shane Wright has been named rookie of the year in the Ontario Hockey League.
The 16-year-old from Burlington, Ont., led all OHL rookies with 66 points in 58 games.
“It’s a huge honour to win the Emms Family Award,” Wright said.
“It was one of my goals coming into the season and it’s amazing that I was awarded it.”
Shane was picked first overall by the Kingston Frontenacs during the 2019 OHL Priority Selection.
Wright was granted ‘Exceptional Player Status’ by Hockey Canada to be eligible for the 2019 draft.
He was just the fifth OHL player to receive the distinction following John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, Connor McDavid, and Sean Day.
When COVID-19 forced the OHL to cancel its season, the Frontenacs were awarded the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Wright says making the post season was the team’s number one goal.
“It was an accomplishment to be proud of,” continued Wright.
“We achieved that goal and were really excited about the future ahead.”
Last week, the Frontenacs announced the hiring of Paul McFarland as the team’s head coach. He replaces Kurtis Foster who was let go earlier this month.
“I’ve already had a couple of conversations with Paul,” continued number 51.
“I can tell he’s someone who loves the game and loves to win. He’s definitely going to make our team better.”
Wright becomes the second Frontenac to be named the OHL’s rookie of the year. Chris Gratton won the award in 1992.