Team Canada head coach explains decision on releasing phenom Shane Wright

As the World Juniors are getting set to begin in roughly two weeks' time, teams are beginning to make decisions on what their rosters will be like heading into the tournament.

Team Canada did some of that on Thursday, releasing seven players from their camp, including 16-year-old Shane Wright. The young centerman was just the sixth player in CHL history to be granted exceptional status in order to play major junior as a 15-year-old. The others who have received exceptional status are John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, Connor McDavid, Sean Day, and Joe Veleno. As you can see, he was immediately lumped in with many elite names.

The pressure didn't appear to affect Wright however, as he had a terrific rookie OHL season for the Kingston Frontenacs, posting a team leading 39 goals and 66 points in 58 games. For likely the first time ever in his hockey career however, he was cut from Team Canada and will not be participating at the World Juniors. Head coach Andre Tourigny spoke to reporters about that decision shortly after.

“The quality of players up front is special so that is what played a little bit against him. Nothing that he did disappointed us or wasn't at the level we were expecting.

“I saw a lot of intensity from Shane. I saw a lot of desire to get better, to learn, to do what we ask. He was a blessing to coach.”

Though it will certainly be a tough pill to swallow for Wright, the fact he was invited to the camp at all at age 16 speaks volumes to just how good of a player he is. He is also not draft eligible until 2022, meaning he will likely get to play in the tournament next year as well as the year after that. Despite the tough news, the future is extremely bright for Wright.

Team Canada has since made its final cuts. You can see the full final roster for Team Canada in the story posted below.

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