The Nashville Predators have recalled forwards Zachary L'Heureux and Matthew Wood from the Milwaukee Admirals after a conditioning stint in part to the Olympic break.
L'Heureux, 22, and Wood, 21, are going to bring back that young energy that Nashville needs after a long break. Together, they combine for 14 goals and 19 assists in their careers. They've shown promise in the bottom-six for the Predators and will continue to do so as the season runs on.
L'Heureux entering sophomore season with tons of hype
The former first round draft pick suited up for 62 games last season for Nashville where he tallied five goals and 10 assists. This season with the Admirals, L'Heureux has is a point-per-game with 28 points so far with it split even between goals and assists.
He was called up this season in early November where he was a healthy scratch for two games. He was ultimately sidelined with a lower-body injury, putting him out of business for 4-6 weeks. He was reassigned to Milwaukee in mid-December.
While known for his gritty instincts, L'Heureux has proven to be an offensive threat to many. He recorded two assists in a 6-5 win against San Jose last January with the real highlight being his first of the night. After Fedor Svechkov set up the play behind the Sharks goalie, L'Heureux crashed the net and shot the puck, redirecting it to former Preds centerman Tommy Novak to make it 2-0. See if you remember this play at 1:03 in the video.
If we focus on his specialty, we can see that he's done a pretty good job. He dropped the gloves four times last season and racked up 63 penalty minutes. Even though he's only 5'11", L'Heureux still finds way to challenge his taller opponents. With some grittiness, he's destined to remain in the bottom six to start. I can see him take over Tyson Jost or Reid Schaefer on the fourth line to begin Preds hockey once again.
An AHL stint is what Wood needs to get back into scoring big
Wood started off this season red-hot, scoring seven points (3g, 4a) in his first ten games. He followed it up with his first career hat trick in a 6-3 loss against the New York Rangers in November. The 2023 15th overall pick recorded four more points before entering a quiet stretch to enter the new year. It took him 14 games to put up another point and has only tallied two more since then.
His ice time has riveled down from nearly 13 minutes a night to only around nine. However, I do expect Wood to get some more time now that he's had some time to develop more. After playing a top-end role with Milwaukee, tallying one goal and three assists in five games, Wood looks to strike back in the goal-scoring persona that we saw in 2025.
Realistically, I don't see him entering the top six just yet. With the way Luke Evangelista and Stamkos has been playing, it'll be pretty awkward to try and figure out how to fit Wood in that equation. He's not particularly good at taking faceoffs either, winning only 42.4% of the time. Erik Haula is just coming off of a bronze medal win and Nashville would probably want to stick that winning mentality in with their top guys.
Personally, I'd put him on the second power play unit with Vange and Haula. Replacing Justin Barron on defensive for Wood could provide more offensive firepower on the wing. His powerful one-timer shot on the left side could be that unit's Stamkos. Michael Bunting is currently on the left side so potentially move him on defense for the time being until he gets traded.
L'Heureux and Wood are just a step in the youth movement for Nashville
The NHL Trade Deadline isn't too far away, taking place March 6. If the Predators want to try and get younger, sending these guys up to the big leagues is necessary. There are a few pieces that got a good shot at being shipped away, giving these rookies a better shot at cracking the lineup.
Ozzy Wiesblatt and Schaefer, who are already in the lineup, would be given more opportunities to make a name for themselves. Additionally, a few of the guys in Milwaukee like Joakim Kemell, Ryan Ufko, and Svechkov who've gotten NHL experience in the past can try and prove themselves again with more spots available.