NCAA Prospect Matthew Wood expected to join Nashville Predators soon

A bad season will give you the chance to see younger prospects sooner than expected, and that could be what is about to happen with 2023 first-round draft pick Matthew Wood and the Nashville Predators.

Per Elliotte Friedman's reporting on Saturday, Wood is leaving the University of Minnesota after his team lost in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament. An entry level contract signing is up next.

In his one and only season with the Golden Gophers, Wood was tied for second on the team in points with 39 in 39 games. The heartbreaking loss in the opening round of the NCAA tournament frees up the 20-year-old Wood to shift his focus towards his future with the NHL team that drafted him not even two years ago.

It's been painfully clear for a while now, but now that it is official, the Nashville Predators can stop thinking about a magical run back into the playoff picture and starting thinking about how they fix this fast for 2025-26.

Wood is just one of many vital pieces in Nashville's growing and improving prospect pool that are either already getting NHL minutes, or they're getting really close. We're already seeing Fedor Svechkov, drafted in the first round two years before Wood, getting crucial NHL minutes ahead of schedule.

Joakim Kemell is the most recent Predators draft pick to make their NHL debut, being drafted in the first round of 2022. Next up is the 2023 draft class, which on paper looks very promising, with Wood being the center of attention along with Tanner Molendyk for the defense.

Wood took a big step forward in rounding out his game in one season with Univ. of Minnesota

As for Wood, he took an encouraging step forward in his development as a top-six prospect in his one year with the University of Minnesota, despite the team's early exit in the NCAA Tournament.

Wood transferred to the University of Minnesota with a lot of hype. Much like the other college sports, the transfer portal is changing the NCAA. Wood lived up to the hype and rounded out his game both with raw offensive traits and in his physicality, per an article from Randy Johnson of The Minnesota Star Tribune in early March.

Wood's Head Coach at Minnesota, Bob Motzsko, has praised Wood's physical approach to his offensive and defensive game. An important trait that we know as Predators fans that General Manager Barry Trotz loves to see.

"“I love where he’s taking his game, playing down low more, and with that big body, he’s kind of learning a new toy, He’s got so much talent, and he likes to play on the rush. I told him, ‘That’s boring stuff. You don’t want to play in the rush. You go play in bloody-nose alley.’”"

Gophers HC Bob Motzko

Being a former first-round pick, it's noted that those types of high end prospects usually don't stick around for four years at the college level. So for the Predators, they can use the remaining games of the regular season to get a better look at Wood in the big leagues.

To be clear, even if Wood makes his NHL debut under these circumstances and even shows some flashes, he'll still have a lot to prove in training camp before 2025-26 and all likelihood is he would start off with the Milwaukee Admirals.

Either way, we all have to be pretty pleased with the progression Wood is showing in his game. He fits the reputations of playing physical, getting the trenches while also playing smart and showing off some flashiness to his offense at times. A well-balanced player that has fair aspirations to eventually be a mainstay in Nashville's top-six. But like with most NHL prospects, even the first round picks, patience is key.

Wood isn't the only NCAA prospect the Predators can be thrilled about in the near future. Aiden Fink, a seventh-round pick by Nashville from the same draft as Wood, is another winger from a Big Ten school who is lighting up the offense for Penn State with 23 goals and 30 assists.

It's way too early to know how fast Wood will become a regular on the NHL level. Usually it takes getting over the transition to the professional ranks, and usually some extended time in the AHL comes first. Only a few generational talents come along and just skip past the AHL level altogether, and I don't see Wood doing that.

However, if all goes according to plan and Wood makes the AHL transition look seamless first, then he can definitely become a regular in Nashville's lineup at some point in 2025-26 during what will probably be another non-playoff year.

The eventual ceiling for Wood is to be a reliable top-six winger. As the top veteran core of Nashville gets older, Wood is an important prospect for the long-term future going well past 2025-26 and going several years down the road.

So it appears reinforcements are coming from the NCAA ranks, but the dark cloud always hanging over this organization's head is can they effectively develop and retain their young talent? They have screwed up badly in this area in recent seasons with asset mismanagement.