Predators' Wood thrilled to play against idol Malkin, Penguins in Global Series

STOCKHOLM -- When Matthew Wood caught a glimpse of the No. 71 jersey, it hit him. It was a piece of his childhood, right there in front of him, a piece of the fandom that had helped him fall in love with hockey, that No. 71 the reason for his No. 71.

Wood, the son of a hockey coach, grew up with the game. He grew up watching and appreciating and loving the Pittsburgh Penguins -- perhaps a rite of passage for every Canadian kid enthralled by Sidney Crosby -- but for Wood, the idol was Evgeni Malkin.

So when Wood caught sight of the racks of Penguins merchandise being set up in Avicii Arena, with that No. 71 prominently among them, he was secretly thrilled. And while he didn’t buy it immediately, by Friday he had made his decision. He pulled out his credit card for a Christmas present for himself.

The 20-year-old remains what he is, a wide-eyed rookie, a player still not quite able to believe where he finds himself, what he finds himself doing. Here he is in Stockholm, at the 2025 NHL Global Series Sweden presented by Fastenal, playing against his hockey idols, getting a chance to take the ice against them for the very first time.

“What makes it even more special, for me personally, is I’m a lifelong Penguins fan,” Wood said on Wednesday. “I wear 71 because Malkin’s been my favorite player since I was little. It’s like, I woke up this morning, couldn’t believe I was in the same city as Malkin and Crosby.”

On Friday, he took the ice against them for the first time, a 2-1 overtime win for his Nashville Predators at Avicii Arena in Stockholm in which Wood played 15:06 with one shot on goal. The Predators lost the second game on Sunday, 4-0, but afterward he got to meet Malkin and get a photo with him.

Asked earlier in the week if he planned on saying hello to Malkin, introducing himself, Wood demurred.

“I’m just excited to be able to play against him,” Wood said. “If I see him out on the street or in the hotel, I’ll try to get a picture. Not going to force it.”

But he had started the process to get the jersey signed, at least.

“Every Canadian loves Crosby,” said the Nanaimo, British Columbia native. “And I loved hockey, so I loved Crosby. And then I always loved Malkin, he’s always been my favorite player. He’s just bigger and skilled and I kind of related to it.”

Wood, who is 6-foot-4 and 202 pounds, has spent the past few years learning how best to use his body, getting stronger and more ready for the NHL game. He has looked to Malkin, who is 6-foot-5 and 213 pounds, as a model.

“He’s an unbelievable playmaker,” Wood said. “I wish I could do everything that he does. I think his playmaking is incredible. Obviously, he’s an incredible goal-scorer as well, but I think his vision and his smarts are just so, so high level. I just try to watch what he does and how he is kind of trying to see the play, also just appreciating him and their whole team.”

Wood, fresh off the first hat trick of his career, on Monday against the New York Rangers, is finding his footing in the NHL. Chosen No. 15 in the 2023 NHL Draft, Wood made his NHL debut on April 6, playing in six games at the end of the season with one assist.

It was revelatory for him.

“It completely transformed my summer, I would say,” Wood said. “I was able to apply what I saw in those six games and put everything that I need to work on into my training and take my training up a notch. Just try to give myself the best chance that I could to make the team.”

To him, the biggest thing was simply seeing how close he was to not only making the team but to making an impact. Understanding that gave him the confidence he needed to push himself as hard as he could. Already a kid who appreciates working on his game -- “I almost enjoy training in summer more than playing because I just love trying to get the best version of myself,” he said -- he hit new highs in July and August.

It showed.

“He had a great summer of training where he came into Nashville and trained and got himself in great physical condition and he had a great camp,” coach Andrew Brunette said. “He was arguably our best player through camp.”

It was a sentiment echoed by his teammates -- Steven Stamkos called his camp “unbelievable” -- but Wood got hurt near the end of training camp, pushing back his season debut to Oct. 23. Since then, his game has only risen.

Over the past seven games, he has six goals, including those three on Monday. It marked his first hat trick since juniors, having played three years at college -- two at the University of Connecticut, one at the University of Minnesota -- without recording one.

The six goals this season has him in a three-way tie for second among the rookie goal leaders with Oliver Kapanen of the Montreal Canadiens and Beckett Sennecke of the Anaheim Ducks, one behind Matthew Schaefer of the New York Islanders.

“When you have the combination of that size and then the skill set, it’s rare,” Stamkos said. “He’s got a great shot, great release, but just his hands in tight, he can make plays that guys his size probably shouldn’t be able to make.

“He’s still so young, he’s just going to continue to get better. He’s going to get stronger, he’s going to get faster, but you can’t really teach that IQ or that skill set that he has and knowing where to be on the ice to score goals and use his big frame. So, it’s been impressive to watch. He’s had a great start so far.”