Matthew Wood

Photo by: Brad Rempel

Photo by: Bjorn Franke

Position:
Forward
Ht./Wt.:
6-4 / 205
Class:
Junior
Shoot/Catch:
R
Hometown:
Nanaimo, British Columbia
Previous Team:
UConn (NCAA)
NHL Rights:
Nashville (2023)

PRONUNCIATION

• Signed three-year, entry-level NHL contract with the Nashville Predators on March 29, 2025
• Made NHL debut April 6, 2025

2024-25 | JUNIOR
All-Big Ten Honorable Mention Team
• Played in 39 of 40 games in his lone season at Minnesota, missing one while taking part in Team Canada's camp for the IIHF World Junior Championship
• Tied for second on the team with a career-best 39 points behind 17 goals and 22 assists to average a point per game
• Secured two game-winning goals for the year, tying for second with the Gophers, coming at home versus Michigan (Dec. 6) and Notre Dame (Mar. 8)
• Put together a season-high, three-assist effort in his Maroon and Gold debut against Air Force (Oct. 11) at the 2024 Ice Breaker Tournament in Las Vegas
• Had a season-best, two-goal outing versus Michigan (Dec. 6) and at Penn State (Mar. 1) in a win during the final game of the regular season that clinched the Big Ten Conference championship
• Ended the campaign with 12 multi-point performances, five of which came in his first six appearances of the season
• Posted a season-long, five-game point streak on three separate occasions, including the final five games this year
• Found the back of the net in four-consecutive appearances from Mar. 1-9 and closed the season with eight goals in the final 11 games
• Ranked third on the team with 11 power-play points behind three goals and eight assists
• Scored all three of his goals on the man advantage over an eight-game span between Feb. 15-Mar. 9
• Led the Gophers' offense with three postseason goals and had four points in four playoff appearances, including an assist in the lone NCAA Tournament outing of his career
• Was one of three skaters to record double-digit goals inside 3M Arena at Mariucci with 11 goals in 20 home games
• Tied for fourth on the team in scoring during league play with 18 points in 23 Big Ten Conference outings
• Had the highest winning percentage of any Gopher at the faceoff dot, winning 57.4 percent of draws (35-of-61)
• Closed the year with a plus-19 rating thanks to a season-best, plus-5 outing in the opening game versus Air Force (Oct. 11)
• Gophers owned a 17-7-1 record when he picked up a point and were 10-4-1 in games when he scored a goal
• Earned first letter

2023-24 | SOPHOMORE (UConn)
• Paced UConn with 16 goals and 28 points across 35 appearances
• Put up 16 of his 28 total points over the final 18 games of the season after the holiday break
• Closed the year with 10 points during a five-game point streak, his second streak of that length during the campaign, including a goal in each of the final three games for a season-long goal streak
• Tallied seven multi-point performances, four of which came in his final five outings
• Posted three game-winning goals and three power-play goals for the year
• Notched his first collegiate hat trick in a 4-3 win over Northeastern (Mar. 1)
• Totaled five goals and six points in three Hockey East Tournament games against Vermont and Boston College

2022-23 | FRESHMAN (UConn)
Hockey East Rookie of the Year Finalist
Hockey East Pro Ambitions All-Rookie Team (unanimous selection)
• Played in all 35 games during his first collegiate season
• Led the Huskies with 34 points behind 11 goals and 23 assists
• Had a point in 14 of his final 15 games played, totaling 19 points in that stretch
• Made his college hockey debut versus Vermont (Oct. 1) and scored UConn's first goal of the season
• Scored the first game-winning goal of his career in a 5-3 victory over LIU (Dec. 31)
• Posted a season-long point streak of nine games between Dec. 31 and Feb. 10
• Put together seven outings with multiple points, including a season-high three points against Ohio State (Oct. 15) and Yale (Jan. 27)
• Ended the campaign with three goals on the man advantage
• Held a plus-7 rating for the season
• Was the youngest player in college hockey, playing at the age of 17
• Helped UConn climb to No. 6 in the national rankings in late November, the school's highest-ever poll position

JUNIOR/HIGH SCHOOL
• Spent two years in the BCHL with the Victoria Grizzlies
• Appeared in 64 games scoring 50 goals with 48 assists for 98 total points
• Named the BCHL Rookie of the Year after recording 45 goals and 85 points as a 16-year-old in 2021-22
• Awarded the Brett Hull Trophy as the BCHL's leading scorer with 85 points in 2021-22
• Earned a spot on the BCHL All-Rookie Team and was a BCHL First Team All-Star selection
• Scored 16 of his 45 goals on the power play
• Played 18 games for Victoria to close the 2020-21 pod season, finishing with five goals and eight assists for 13 points

INTERNATIONAL
• Represented Team Canada in the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship
• Tied for third on the team in scoring with four points (two goals, two assists) in five games at the 2024 tournament
• Had a goal and two assists in a Dec. 27 matchup against Latvia
• Tallied 15 points in 11 games for the Canadians at the 2023 IIHF U18 World Championship, winning a bronze medal, after competing in the 2022 tournament
• Won a gold medal with Team Canada in the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup

PERSONAL
• Son of Jamie and Carie Wood
• Has two younger sisters, Maggie and Celia
• Father, Jamie, was an assistant coach for the Gophers women's hockey team from 2008-10 under head coach Brad Frost and made back-to-back NCAA Frozen Four appearances
• Drafted in the first round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft (15th overall) by the Nashville Predators
• Ranked as the No. 4 skater in North America by NHL Central Scouting prior to the 2023 draft
• Only Gopher to ever wear No. 91 and just the second in program history with a number in the 90s