After his sophomore season the Catamounts made the move to Division I, giving Wright two valuable years of playing experience at the top level under Jim Cross.
[5] Despite a sharp decline after 1994, AIC was willing to sign on to the NCAA-mandated Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference as an associate member in 1998–99.
The Yellow Jackets were one of the worst programs in terms of wins in their conference and all of college hockey after joining the Division I ranks.
Despite the lack of on-ice success, Wright was lauded for achieving a perfect Academic Progress Rate with his players and coaching AIC to three Team Sportsmanship Awards.
Although his 605 losses are an NCAA record for a coach at one school, Wright was respected at the university for keeping the program alive as it played much larger and better-funded Division I teams.