Wood Impresses in NHL Debut as Professional Career Begins With Preds

Sure, a victory for the Predators in Matthew Wood’s NHL debut was the desired outcome, but the final result on Sunday night in Nashville didn’t keep the rookie from flashing a few smiles after achieving what most hockey players only dream of doing.

Exactly 648 days since Wood’s name was called by the Preds when they selected him 15th overall during the 2023 NHL Draft - which was held at Bridgestone Arena, no less - the British Columbia, Canada, native was back in the same building, only this time he was lacing up skates.

As is customary for fresh-faced rookies in their inaugural showing in the League, Wood led the Predators out to the ice and took a few solo laps for all to see, including his parents, siblings, girlfriend and other guests, some of whom also donned his Gold No. 52 jersey.

And from there, he certainly didn’t look out of place.

Wood registered one shot on goal and took 20 shifts in 13:14 of ice time as he skated predominantly on a line with Michael McCarron and Cole Smith. The now-former Minnesota Golden Gopher also saw some time on Nashville’s second power-play unit, and he made a number of quality passes to teammates while buzzing around the net on a few occasions.

So, how was it to have a whirlwind few days that started with meeting the team on the road in Dallas culminating with officially putting his name into the NHL ledger?

“It was a great opportunity, and really, really fortunate that I was able to experience that,” Wood said minutes after Nashville’s 2-1 defeat to Montreal was final. “I think after the first period, I was a lot less nervous, and it was fun.”

“I was impressed,” Predators Assistant Coach Todd Richards said of Wood. “Coming out of…[recently] playing some college hockey [with Minnesota], you don't know what to expect at times, and I thought he showed very well tonight. It's a real encouraging sign. He has the ability to make some little plays, and he had some good looks. As far as creating offense, he had some good looks himself, as far as shooting the puck. So, I thought it was a really good first game for him, to kind of test the waters of the NHL.”

Wood, who stands 6-foot-5 without skates, is accustomed to being the tallest guy on the ice most nights. But on Sunday, his trio of McCarron, who stands 6-foot-6, and Smith, no slouch at 6-foot-3, combined for a number of impressive shifts that could have easily culminated with the puck in the back of the net.

“There's not too many guys as tall as McCarron in college,” Wood grinned. “They're obviously really great players. They work really hard, and we had a lot of fun out there. I really enjoyed playing with those guys.”

“I thought he was great,” McCarron said of his new linemate. “I thought he made some really good plays, some plays that you don't really see a rookie make, some poised plays. You can only see he is only going to get better, too. It’s his first game, and he's already making those types of plays. He’s got some great talent.”

The day prior to his debut, Wood participated in his first full practice with the team, which included facing future Hall-of-Famer Steven Stamkos in a few 1-on-1 situations with Wood remarking, “That was pretty cool.”

On Sunday evening, the 20-year-old couldn’t help but glance around the locker room at players like Stamkos, Ryan O’Reilly and Filip Forsberg - stars he’s grown up watching and is now sharing space with.

“Really special,” Wood said in that regard. “Those guys are unbelievable. They're just as good of people off the ice. Everyone here has welcomed me really well. They’re great on the ice, they're great off the ice, and it's been an unbelievable experience so far.”

“He looked really good out there,” Stamkos said of Wood. “Probably could have had a few points in the first couple shifts, and made some great plays. He’s a big body, but he looked pretty comfortable, so it was great to see; happy for him. Once you get that first shift on your belt, it's hockey, and it comes at you a little quicker. But I thought he was great and very happy for him.”

Over the past few days, the focus for Wood has been to simply soak it all in and pick up as much as he can - not only on the ice, but also how NHL life works off of it. He’s off to a good start with the past 96 hours in the books, but now that his debut is complete, the work is just beginning.

“There's a lot to learn from, and I think it was a great moment to enjoy it,” Wood said. “I think one of my biggest strengths is being able to learn. So I enjoyed the moment, and now tomorrow is tomorrow, and time to learn.”

Only five games remain on the Nashville schedule, and while it’s not yet known if Wood will appear in each of those contests, he may receive at least a few more opportunities to impress before the offseason arrives.

“There's a saying that I've used a lot as a coach…and that’s, ‘Good enough to get here - are you good enough to stay here?’” Richards said. "You see a lot of players where they're good enough to get here, and it gets hard. It really does. You have that initial energy of playing in the NHL, but eventually that goes away. So again, it's really encouraging, seeing a young guy come in and do some of the things he did throughout this game. I felt he had a real positive impact in the game.

“I think it was really a solid game for him… These games are hard. They are hard each and every game. Then you start factoring in travel, and in college, you play back-to-back, but you only play two games a week. Now you're starting to play four games a week. Factor that in with travel, and how guys manage themselves, so it’ll be [a] learning [experience] for him, but it's really good that he's here right now and getting a taste of it.”

Wood is grateful for that chance, and he’s planning to take advantage of the next two weeks to simply get a little bit better every day. A long, fruitful NHL career is the ultimate goal, but reaching 1,000 games can’t happen without the first.

And now that No. 1 is out of the way?

“I just want to give my best effort to this team, and whatever happens, happens,” Wood said. “[I want to] continue to learn. This is a huge growth opportunity for me, and I think I've just tried to keep learning as much as I can every day.”