One personal annual event that I missed this year due to the cancellation of hockey due to the pandemic was my spring long weekend trip to see multiple OHL playoff games. I started this a few years back while Connor McDavid was in Erie (an incredible experience to witness as the fans in attendance rose to their feet seemingly each time McDavid started a rush with the puck) and I’ve found my way to multiple games in Niagara, Mississauga, Ottawa, Peterborough, London, and other terrific places to watch hockey (which I highly recommend to anyone if they get the chance). One place I frequent to watch junior hockey, Kingston (Ontario), would not have had playoff hockey this spring. However, the Frontenacs did have one of the most intriguing players/prospects in their lineup in Shane Wright, a contender (if not favorite) to go #1 overall in the 2022 NHL draft. Shane had an incredible first season in the OHL, ultimately earning Rookie of the Year honors in the league.
The visualization of Shane Wright’s season shows two charts related to his performance over time and one in terms of his performance against different opponents. The top two charts show scoring variables on the left-hand chart and other performance variables on the right-hand chart. In terms of scoring, you can see Shane averaged over a point-per-game in his rookie year, with many multi-point performances, particularly in a stretch from late January to mid-February. During that time, he started to bunch goals (in yellow) together and ultimately had a dominant effort in earning a hat trick at the end of February. In terms of other performance variables, his +/- (not bad for the quality of team in 2019-20), face-off percentage (size of line), and Shots on Goal project well for future performance. One interesting item to note on the right-hand chart is the tendency for poor +/- games to follow some great performances. This typifies youth and it is expected that maturity and experience at this level will prevent some of this in the future.
The bottom chart shows Shane’s performance against each opponent. The consistency is impressive on both the shots (gray – measured vs left-hand side axis) and points (yellow – measured against the right-hand side axis) variables. While there were some dominant performances and the rare nights of being shut out in terms of points (vs. the SOO), his success obviously did not just occur against poor opponents.
I greatly look forward to seeing Shane Wright and the Frontenacs in action in the fall and am hoping to plan a trip for the home opener (whenever the schedule is announced). If you are doing the same, you can find me down the street at The Works (for an incredible burger and poutine) before making my way over to the arena at 1 The Tragically Hip Way. (I miss hockey…)
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