Predators select Matthew Wood No. 15 overall in 2023 NHL Draft

Every NHL team dreams of unearthing a dangerous scorer blessed with a massive frame and sprawling wingspan. That’s why the league is so enamored with talents like Tage Thompson.

Can Matthew Wood be the next version of that player archetype? The Nashville Predators hope so. They selected him No. 15 overall Wednesday in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

Wood, 18, didn’t look out of place as a teenage freshman playing NCAA Div. I with the University of Connecticut this season. He blazed the unconventional path there by competing in the BCHL for two seasons rather than going the major junior route. 

He grew up playing with Connor Bedard, and Wood was also drafted by the WHL’s Regina Pats, but Wood chose to light it up in the BCHL instead before arriving at UConn for 2022-23. 

Already 6-foot-4 and 193 pounds, Wood looked like he belonged in his first season there, picking up 11 goals and 34 points in 35 games. Those are highly impressive totals for his age. He also tore up the Under-18 World Championship competing for Team Canada’s bronze-winning entry with seven goals and 13 points in seven games.

Like many large-bodied prospects, Wood is undoubtedly a project. He has a dangerous goal-scorer’s shot and has the projectable frame, but he could stand to fill out more and, most importantly, will need to improve his skating before knocking on the door of NHL duty. 

It thus stands to reason that Wood will need at least another year of development at the college level.

STEVEN ELLIS’ SCOUTING REPORT

“Wood is a big man at 6-foot-4, which NHL teams like. But he doesn’t play like a typical “big” prospect, such as fellow college draft prospect Charlie Stramel. Wood’s game is all about skill, and he has the hands to follow. He led Connecticut in shots, averaging around three a game. And it’s an excellent shot, too, putting significant power and accuracy behind it, and with the confidence to unleash it from most areas of the offensive zone.

“One comparable that comes to mind is Ottawa’s Drake Batherson, a 6-foot-3 forward coming off a 62-point campaign. Batherson quickly became one of Ottawa’s best players over the past few years and should help the team be a consistent playoff threat in the near future.”