2023 NHL Draft Guide: Matthew Wood edition

Everything you need to know about Matthew Wood ahead of the first round.

Author

Daniel Connolly
June 27, 2023

Photo: Ian Bethune

On Wednesday night, Matthew Wood will finally learn what his future holds when the 2023 NHL Draft kicks off in Nashville. Wood will be in attendance alongside his family, UConn head coach Mike Cavanaugh and others.

That — not to mention that smattering of mock drafts and rankings that have him comfortably between 10-20 — is a sign that he’s likely to be the Huskies’ second-ever first-rounder and the highest pick in program history.

Overview

Height: 6-3
Weight: 190
Date of birth: Feb. 6, 2005
Hometown: Nanaimo, British Columbia

2022-23 stats: 11 goals, 23 assists, 34 points in 35 games

Despite being the youngest player in college hockey this past season, Wood led UConn in both assists and points as a freshman. He started off strong with two goals and an assist in the opening weekend vs. Vermont and didn’t slow down. Wood never went more than two games without a point and collected at least one in 25 of 35 games — including 14 of his last 15.

Projected pick: Between 10-20

Highest ranking: 7

Lowest ranking: 37

Consolidated ranking: 13

Commonly projected teams: St. Louis Blues, Buffalo Sabres, Arizona Coyotes

Mock drafts

The Hockey Writers (Logan Horn): No. 10 to the St. Louis Blues

The Hockey Writers (Peter Baracchini): No. 13 to the Buffalo Sabres

TSN: No. 10 the St. Louis Blues

The Athletic: No. 9 to the Detroit Red Wings

The Athletic (Staff): No. 17 to the Montreal Canadiens

NHL.com: No. 12 to the Arizona Coyotes

Prospect rankings

NHL Central Scouting (North American skaters): No. 4

The Athletic (Scott Wheeler): No. 10

The Athletic (Corey Pronman): No. 14

Elite Prospects: No. 16

Flo Hockey: No. 7

The Hockey News (Ryan Kennedy): No. 16

The Hockey News (Tony Ferrari): No. 37

The Hockey Writers (combined): No. 14

SportsNet: No. 14

TSN: No. 11

Photo: Ian Bethune

Scouting reports

The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler

Wood is a rangy, goal-scoring forward who has silky hands for his size (considering the long stick he uses, he’s got superb control on the toe of his blade out wide and the heel in tight to his feet), a marksman’s shot inside the offensive zone (both through a natural shooting motion and his one-timer), and a sixth sense for arriving around the net/slot at the right time. He protects the puck so, so well and does a good job holding onto pucks for that extra second required to walk into his spots.

He’s got quick hands one-on-one, he drops pucks back into his shooting stance effortlessly, and he’s got a beautiful curl-and-drag motion. He has also quite noticeably gotten quicker from a standstill and worked to up his work rate. Though he still needs to get a little quicker from a standstill, his skating isn’t an issue for me on the whole and when he keeps his feet moving in puck protection he draws a ton of penalties. He’s better suited as a playmaker and finisher than a power-forward type, but he has become sneaky competitive. I love the way he slows down the game, adjusts and maneuvers his frame and shades pucks. Mix in a multi-dimensional shooting arsenal and I see top-six upside.

Source

The Athletic’s Corey Pronman

Wood is a very gifted offensive player. He has excellent one-on-one skills and offensive IQ. He has the ability to hold onto pucks for an extra second and knows how to beat defenders with skill. He also has an excellent wrist shot and one-timer, making him a major asset on the power play. Wood is a big winger as well, so the size/skill combo has a lot of upside. However, his skating is an issue as he lacks the ability to separate and the pace of the NHL will challenge him. I wouldn't call him an overly physical or high compete type, and I've seen him take nights off, but Wood is a big body who can use his frame to win battles and gets to the inside parts of the offensive zone well enough. I think he'll be a quality top six winger who will be a big part of an NHL power play, but he may frustrate his coaches at times.

Source

Flo Hockey’s Chris Peters

After averaging nearly a point-per-game as the youngest player in the NCAA, Wood helped UConn to one of its best seasons in program history. He played a leading offensive role thanks to his ability to get to the interior and finish off plays. Wood is a goal scorer with good instincts and a sense of time and space that the best goal-scorers have. He pops into soft areas of the ice and always makes himself an option for his linemates. Wood is unlikely to be a real driver, which limits some of his value, but his goal scoring, size and down-low play are all higher-end traits. His skating remains a concern and one of the reasons you won’t see him often carrying as many pucks into the zone or backing down defenders. The fact that he can win a lot of pucks and get aggressive with his body position allows him to be a higher-end threat near the net-front. He has really good hands for a big player and has that finishing ability that suggests top-six scorer.

Grades

Elite Prospects

Skating: 4
Shooting: 6.5
Passing: 6.5
Puckhandling: 6.5
Hockey Sense: 7
Physical: 6

The Athletic

Skating: Below average
Puck skills: Above average
Hockey Sense: Average
Compete: Average
Shot: Above average

Quote of note

Anonymous scout to The Athletic: “[Wood’s] a late first/early second for me, a lot of risks with him hitting because of his skating and compete.” (Source)

Photo: Ian Bethune

Combine questions

Comparisons

Central Scouting senior manager David Gregory: "There's a lot of Tage Thompson comparisons, especially since both went to UConn. Both of them are not going to look like the Energizer Bunny, having that quick twitch, but they've got the longer stride. Matthew thinks it well. He's got good edges. I think the power and strength will come. I think it's going to be an impressive season for him." (Source)

Corey Pronman (The Athletic): Drake Batherson — “Initially, I thought of Patrik Laine a lot when watching Wood, because of the size, the great skill, and the dangerous one-timer. Laine does everything a level higher, though, for me offensively. Batherson is the name I decided on because he’s not a great skater, but he has a ton of skill and offensive IQ.” (Source)

Elite Prospects: Jason Robertson

Superlatives

Which 2023 NHL Draft prospects have the highest upside? (The Athletic)

Wood lands at No. 12.

“Wood has a ton of natural scoring ability in a large frame. You don’t lead the BCHL in scoring as a 16-year-old and then your Hockey East team as a 17-year-old without legit high-end skill. His skating is quite worrisome in terms of his pro potential, but if he hits he could be a major scoring weapon for an NHL team.”

Which 2023 NHL Draft prospects have the best skills? (The Athletic)

Wood is honorable mention under “best puck skills” but somehow doesn’t make the cut for “best shot”.

2023 NHL Draft class superlatives (The Athletic)

Wood comes in at…

Best shot: No. 6 — “Wood’s got a unique shot at 6-foot-4.”

Highest ceiling: No. 10 — “Wood, Sale and Nadeau all have legitimate high-end skills that could turn them into secondary stars in this group if things break right.”

Best hands: Honorable mention

Elite Prospects

Lethal Shooter; Tactician; Toolsy

Additional coverage

How to watch

Date: Wednesday, June 28

Time: 7 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN, SN, TVAS

Location: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee

Photo: Ian Bethune