Wright course to pros leads to Wranglers job

Nick Christensen

Friday, Feb. 27, 2004 | 10:37 a.m.

For the past seven years, Doug Wright lived in the shadow of his older brother Tyler.

Tyler, the 1992 first-round draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers. Tyler, who has played 502 games in 11 NHL seasons with three teams.

And, lucky for Doug, Tyler, who knew Wranglers coach and general manager Glen Gulutzan from Canada's Heartland.

"Doug's a kid who grew up probably two hours away from me," Gulutzan said. "I grew up playing against Tyler. When I stumbled across Doug this summer, I saw he was a kid out of Providence, thought he'd be a good young guy that may come in here and we can see how he performed."

Wright may be the rookie surprise of the year for the Wranglers. After struggling out of the gate, Wright has come back to score 14 goals and add 13 assists in 56 games for Las Vegas, and has eight points in his past seven games.

Wright wound up in Las Vegas after trying to make a name for himself at Providence College. It was a choice, he said, influenced mostly by his older brother.

"He took a different route than I did. He went through major-juniors," Doug said. "I took the college route. He was influential in me going the college route, because he kind of wished that he did.

"But things turned out good for him."

Doug Wright was at best an average player at Providence, scoring only 15 goals and getting 27 assists in his four years. Gulutzan said his dedication, as well as performance, have been a welcome surprise this season.

"It hasn't been easy on Doug," Gulutzan said. "I haven't played him in any power play positions. I've asked him to play left wing, right wing, center, I've made him power play, penalty kill, I've asked him to fight a few times, everything I've asked him to do he's done. It's nice to have a player who'll do that kind of stuff for you."

Gulutzan said that Wright's willingness to listen make him stand out on the team.

"He just works hard. He works hard every shift and he listens," Gulutzan said. "He's extremely coachable. He didn't come in with any preconceived notions of how he was going to play."

It's that dedication that has kept Wright on the team, and got him a one-game stint with the Triple-A Chicago Wolves, in which he had an assist.

The biggest changes, he said, have been adjusting to the grind of so many games, and building confidence in his abilities at this level. He said he has made strides in both.

"It's been a change for me this year because it's over double the games I'm used to in college. The mental aspect has been pretty tough, but it's been nice to be put into a little more of an offensive role," he said. "Confidence, just coming into my own, being comfortable out there, and not being hesitant on my decisions, just kind of going for it. My linemates help me out too lately, (Cam) Bristow and (Blaine) Bablitz have been really good."

Gulutzan said that Wright's next goals should be to bulk up and improve his special-teams play.

"I'd like him to work a little bit on his penalty killing game, that's going to be an asset to him," Gulutzan said. "He's got to put on some weight, because the next level's with some bigger, stronger guys. He's just got to refine his game. Doug's going to be a third line, grinding-out type kid who doesn't make many mistakes. That's what's going to take him to the next level."

And one step closer to his brother?

"Hopefully one day I can get to that point," Wright said. "If not, I'll just root him on."

Goaltender Dave Marlin was cut.