Tyler Wright

Tyler Wright
Born	April 6, 1973 (1973-04-06) Kamsack, SK, CAN
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight	190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position	Centre/right wing
Shot	Right
Played for	Edmonton Oilers Pittsburgh Penguins Columbus Blue Jackets Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
National team	Canada
NHL Draft	12th overall, 1991 Edmonton Oilers
Playing career	1992–2007

Tyler Wright (born April 6, 1973) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played in 613 NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

Playing career

Wright was drafted 12th overall in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers. As a junior with the Swift Current Broncos in 1989-90 he scored 32 points as a rookie. In 1990-91, he improved his offensive production, scoring 41 goals and 92 points in 66 games. In the 1991-92 season, he netted 36 goals and 82 points in 63 games.

After being drafted by the Oilers, Wright played parts of two seasons in Edmonton (1992–93 and 1993–94) but ultimately spent most of his time with their AHL team, Cape Breton Oilers.

On June 22, 1996, Wright was acquired by the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 7th-round draft pick (Brandon Lafrance) and subsequently played 45 games with the Penguins during the 1996-97 season, registering 2 goals and 2 assists. In 1997-98, he joined the NHL ranks full time and played all 82 games for the Penguins. He helped his team win the Northeast Division title and then made his playoff debut.

In 1998-99, he played 61 regular-season games for the Penguins. The following year he dressed for 50 games and scored 12 goals and 22 points. In the 1999 playoffs, he scored four points in eleven games as the Penguins reached the second round. On April 21, he scored his first career playoff goal against the Washington Capitals.

On June 23, 2000, Wright was selected in the 2000 NHL Expansion Draft by the newly formed Columbus Blue Jackets. In his first season with his new team, he scored 16 goals and 32 points and developed into an on ice leader for the Blue Jackets.

During the NHL lockout, Wright played with Swiss team EHC Biel in the second Swiss division.

After four seasons in Columbus, Wright was dealt to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim on November 15, 2005, in a deal that saw Sergei Fedorov join the Blue Jackets.

On the international stage, Wright represented Canada at the 1992 and 1993 World Junior Championships. At the 1993 tournament, he was an alternate captain and helped Canada win the gold medal and was a member of Canada's World Championship team in 2002.

Since 1987-88, there have been 94 hat tricks scored by a goal i) at even strength, ii) on the power play, and iii) on the penalty kill, by a total of 75 different players. Wright scored two of these 94 hat tricks, with the first coming on March 16, 2001 against the Atlanta Thrashers and his second coming on October 27, 2002 against the L.A. Kings.[1]

Post-playing career

In July 2007, Wright rejoined the Columbus Blue Jackets' organization in a front office position when he was named Development Coach for the club. His duties include working with prospects and young players throughout the organization, and assisting with the development of prospects within the professional minor leagues, various major junior leagues, and college level.

Wright and his family currently reside in Plano, Texas.

External links

• Tyler Wright's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Former Columbus Blue Jackets Player Tyler Wright Joins Club's Hockey Operations Staff as Development Coach

Preceded by Scott Allison

Edmonton Oilers first round draft pick 1991

Succeeded by Martin Ručínský