Matthew Wood invited to Canada's World Juniors camp

UConn sophomore forward Matthew Wood is one of 30 players invited to Hockey Canada’s World Juniors camp, which will run from Dec. 10 to Dec. 13 in Oakville, Ontario. Five players will be cut to reach the final roster.

Wood is one of just two college players included alongside BU’s Macklin Celebrini, who could be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Among invitees already selected, Wood is the sixth-highest draft pick after going 15th overall to the Nashville Predators in June — which made him the top pick in program history.

After leading the Huskies in points as the youngest player in college hockey last season, Wood is again pacing the squad with 12 points on a team-high seven goals and five assists at the end of the first half. He’s also taken 65 shots, tied for fifth-most in the nation.

Wood has experience representing his country at the 2022 and 2023 U18 World Championships as well as the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

This is the second time in three years that a UConn player has been invited to Canada’s World Juniors camp. Ryan Tverberg got called in back in 2021, though he didn’t make the final roster.

Five Huskies have played in the World Juniors previously: Vlad Firstov and Yan Kuznetsov with Russia in 2021, Jachym Kondelik with the Czech Republic in 2019, Adam Huska with Slovakia in 2016 and 2017, and Tage Thompson with Team USA in 2017. Thompson won gold at that tournament.

The 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship will take place from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in Sweden. If Wood is selected to the final roster, he’ll miss just two games with UConn.