After a decent start to the year, it looks like the Nashville Predators might be returning to their 2024-25 self. There have been a few rising stars among the bunch of aging veterans. One of these bright spots is non other than rookie forward Matthew Wood.
Wood was one of the few rookies who wasn't on the opening night roster for Nashville. After suffering a lower-body injury in the preseason, he was sent down to the Milwaukee Admirals for some conditioning. After recovering from his injury and playing two games in with the Ads, Wood was called up to the show after the Preds lost their last four games.
He has since played 8 games with the boys and managed to score three beauties and rack up an additional three points. He's tied with Jonathan Marchessault for the sixth most points on the roster so far and seventh in goals. If there's one thing to keep Smashville going to this slow start, it's Wood.
Matthew Wood Shows Promising Signs of Development and Future Impact for Nashville Predators
Prior to his stint this year with the Preds, he received six games of playtime at the end of last season. It was here that we were able to see how developed he truly was. In those six matchups, he notched a lone assist in a 7-3 landslide loss against the Utah Mammoth—the then Utah Hockey Club.
He showed some signs of greatness but there were a handful of times where he looked like he just wasn't ready. Struggles to keep up with the opposition, missed passes, and lack of physicality signaled that he would still need some development with the NHL squad before he hits the ice again the following year.
This preseason was a movie for Wood and Nashville. In the two games he was able to play before his injury, the forward recorded five points, four of which were assists. He was feeding rockets to guys like Brady Martin. Signs of chemistry were appearing on the ice as Marty-Woody connection was on point every game.
One of the things people looked out for was his skating. When he was drafted, scouts pointed to his skating as one of his weak points on his resume. This was pretty apparent in the preseason as mentioned. However, we saw a lot of progression from Wood in the preseason. He rushed past defenders and had a nose for the net. When he didn't have the puck, he was pushing and shoving all the time.
Now taking a look at his current performance in the opening chapter of the regular season, he's gotten even better. He is up with the stars in terms of point performance. He's rocking a solid shooting percentage of 16.7%. Even though he's playing middle-six minutes and only recording under 13 minutes a night, Wood is making the most out of every shift. In one of his shortest games (10 minutes TOI), he put up a one goal, one assist performance.
His physicality has also remained on par. He's one of the top names in hits despite missing half the season with seven. Per Moneypuck, He also has one of the highest shots blocked by player in 60 minutes among his forward peers with 2.41 blocked shots on average. Wood's has yet to give the puck away in the defensive zone. He's won two out of three faceoff attempts for Nashville. All together, he's becoming a pretty well-rounded player. If he keeps this up, we could potentially see him enter the top lines and first special teams units.
Matthew Wood's Frame, Skill, and Energy Is Everything the Nashville Predators Need
At 6'4" 202 lbs., Wood knows what is going on the ice at all times. His ability to peak over shoulders and get a clear sight of the puck puts him at advantage around the net. His shot frequency map on MoneyPuck shows that he's a big crease crasher. Most of his shots come from straight in front of the goalie. This makes him prone to tipping in the puck, which he has done in the past already.
Considering there is only one true net-front presence on the forward core, being Ryan O'Reilly, the squad will soon need to find a replace. I can see Matthew Wood being that piece. His large frame blinds the goalie, and his height and stick length can help redirect the puck beyond the posts.
The 20-year old British Columbia native is looking great in the mustard yellow. Nashville should still be excited for what's to come, even if right now it doesn't look perfect. Wood is here to help the future of the squad and with the right teammates, it wouldn't be too hot to say he could be a top player in the central division.