![]() He models his game after some of the game’s biggest and smartest players They played spring hockey together from 2015 to 2019, lived together for a year at the Bedard residence while Wood developed for the U15 team at West Van Academy Prep (Bedard played for the U18 team at the same time) and, if Wood did not opt to attend college, had a chance to play together for Regina of the Western Hockey League. Wood and Bedard also share a long history. “He had a nice setup, a platform and a net with really small targets … but those were interesting, fun times for sure.” “We’d have shooting competitions in his backyard,” Wood told NHL.com in November. He can recall practice shooting with Bedard before he was a presumptive No. He cut his teeth with the draft's top pick, Connor Bedard With a team-high 23 assists, he helped lead UConn to a 20-12-3 record. In his first season at UConn, Wood led the team in scoring with 34 points in 35 games. “We’ve had a lot of kids who work pretty hard, but he might work at it harder at it than anyone else,” UConn hockey assistant coach Tyler Helton told The Athletic. He was still UConn’s clear best player in his freshman year and among the best amateur hockey players in the country.īefore he could vote, he was gaining traction as a potential top-10 selection.Īs a tall, stringy prospect, Wood took the college route in favor of the opportunity it would allow for him to develop the finer parts of his game - particularly his stickhandling, an aspect of his game that separates him from other players of his size. Wood entered college hockey at the ripe age of 17 and didn’t turn 18 until February. He was the youngest player in college hockey - and thrived Here’s what you need to know about the Predators first selection of the 2023 NHL Draft. The Predators have a league-high 13 picks in this year’s draft. Wood's selection was the last for Poile and first for Barry Trotz, who will succeed Poile on Saturday. “Let’s go Predators!” fans chanted, drowning out all other noise, before David Poile took the stage to announce his team’s selection to open his final NHL Draft as general manager. 15 to select Connecticut's Matthew Wood in the first round at Bridgestone Arena. The Nashville Predators wanted to move up in the 2023 NHL Draft but ultimately stood pat at No.
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