There was an interview with Jack Hughes that I recall reading where he said they applied for exceptional status. He went on to say that he and his family were unsure if they would accept it, even if it was granted (most likely saying this because he was denied). There weren’t any reasons given as to why he was denied, but the common belief was that it was because he was so small at the time (like 140 lbs). While the OHL and HC screwed up with Sean Day no doubt, they also screwed up with Jack Hughes; the kid should have been playing in the OHL. Securing these type of players away from the NCAA is the end game and I think the CHL as a whole and HC will be a lot more amenable to the whole “exceptional player” notion going forward, regardless of Joe Veleno and Sean Day.
There’s very little doubt in my mind that Shane Wright will be granted exceptional player status for next year should he choose to apply. The only way he’s not playing in the OHL is if he wants to avoid playing in Flint and thus forgoes his application.