There are really only a few things you need to know about Matthew Wood heading into the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. He is big. He is tall. He has solid hands. He was the youngest player in college hockey last season.
That essentially sums it up. Wood was able to carve his own unique path as a player that is so much bigger than everyone else around him, through junior hockey in British Columbia and made his way to the University of Connecticut for his freshman year. Not many players have been able to hang in college hockey before they were drafted to the NHL, and if they have, they usually eventually make a nice little career out of it.
Wood is one of the more interesting players in his draft class. He could be a unicorn or he could have NHL teams drooling over his size and drafting yet another big-bodied player that doesn’t make it in professional hockey.
Pre-Draft Rankings:
No. 21 By Sportsnet
No. 21 by EliteProspects
No. 4 (North American Skaters) by NHL Central Scouting
No. 14 by Bob McKenzie
No. 12 by Scott Wheeler/The Athletic
Statistics
Wood has simply scored everywhere he has been so far. During his last BCHL season with the Victoria Grizzlies, his 1.85 points per game is the best from anyone under 17 years old in this century, beating out some fairly hefty names like Alex Newhook and Tyson Jost.
And then, just oh so casually, he led his UConn team in scoring as a freshman. His 0.97 points per game last season was historic considering his age. The only other player that even comes close to it as a player under the age of 18 years old, is when Jonathan Toews scored 0.93 points per game during his freshman year at North Dakota. There’s simply no one that has been able to do this before in the modern game.
What might be even more impressive is that he doesn’t take any penalties as a big man. Just two little minor infractions during his 35 games this past season in his first experience playing against players that could potentially pose a threat. It’s just so damn wild.
What’s there to like?
A whole lot, clearly.
Wood is a freak and has been able to shoo away any defender like they were nothing for some time now. He can easily get to dangerous areas of the ice and has the skill to get his shot off in those tight, high-danger regions. It’s kind of hilarious to watch him on the ice just because of the way he moves like a Create-a-Player in the latest EA game.
He can storm down the ice with his skating ability that can carry his momentum downhill and make his look imposing as hell to any smaller defender trying to snag the puck from his stick.
And one of the best parts of Wood’s game is that he can do things like this:
Granted, that was against players that appeared to be at a least a foot shorter and several dozens of pounds lighter than Wood, but it still looked so cool.
Generally, the tools are there for Wood to be a professional hockey player. He is big enough, scores enough, and has the evident talent to succeed. So, what is making scouts question him as a pick in the first half of the first round?
What’s not to like?
As with almost every single big player that hasn’t hit the NHL yet (or even played at least 200 games), it’s Wood’s skating that is causing a lot of problems for some scouts. He can build up some speed once he gets going, and we already saw some clips of him entering the zone with the puck and dodging defenders, but that was him going end-to-end to do so. One of the biggest concerns is getting that acceleration from a standing position and not having to have a massive patch of ice to get any solid skating done.
Another little aspect of Wood that people don’t seem to enjoy is his overall effort. Maybe it’s because he’s been able to dominate the competition for so long that he appears to just glide around the ice and not completely commit to some loose pucks, but scouts sometimes say that he just needs to get that extra step going and put the work in on the ice on every play. That could come when he eventually plays in a league with players that are more like him and don’t just provide a minor challenge.
How would he fit in the Flyers’ system?
I think the team would obviously love him. With players like Tyson Foerster and Morgan Frost not being the biggest guys, Wood (and Cutter Gauthier) would add a size dynamic to the group of young forwards this team could have. He is definitely what some people wanted Isaac Ratcliffe to be, but, you know, could actually play hockey decently.
Can the Flyers actually get him?
They absolutely could, but like with most draft profiles we’re writing in this range of the first round, they shouldn’t given their current crop of picks. With the seventh overall selection, Wood would be the reachiest of reaches that only True Hockey Men could defend. Players like Zach Benson, Oliver Moore, Ryan Leonard, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, and others that should be available at that pick are the much more smart choice.
Unless a team is deluded in thinking Tage Thompson is a mold and not a unique hockey player that is one of one, Wood should not be in the top-10 selections.
Now, if the Flyers make a trade and get a pick somewhere in the lower half of the first round, then Wood should be a consideration, because if he hits, he will absolutely hit.
What scouts are saying
Wood was the youngest player in the NCAA this season after joining UConn as a 17-year-old. Despite being the youngest player, Wood certainly does not look like it, nor did he play like it. Wood is noticeably the biggest player on the ice in every game he plays and looks even bigger than the 6’3”, 190 pounds he’s listed at. He boasts an excellent shot and a nose for a net which allows him to score from both range and from in tight. He put up 34 points in 35 games with the Huskies, absurd numbers for a player his age. Despite his success, major question marks surrounding his skating, compete level, and lackadaisical handling of the puck exist, and present real risk as to whether he will ever reach his fullest potential. – Jordan Harris, Dobber Prospects
One of my favourites in the 2005 age group, Wood is the youngest player in college hockey this season (he was, for a moment, its only 17-year-old) and has stepped right in to become an impactful player on a good UConn team (albeit as a winger after playing mostly centre at the Jr. A level). His near point-per-game production at the top of the Huskies’ stat sheet comes a year after he led the BCHL in goals (45 in 46 games) and points (85) for a 1.85 points-per-game clip that stands as the most productive 16-year-old season in the league in decades, besting Alex Newhook (1.47), Kyle Turris (1.26), Tyson Jost (0.98), and Kent Johnson (0.81) — while being four months younger than Johnson was at the time. Wood is a rangy, goal-scoring forward who has silky hands for his size (considering the long stick he uses, he’s got great 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’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. There’s work to do to get a little quicker from a standstill, and that leaves some believing he’s more of a mid-to-late first than an upper-half-of-the-first guy, but he’s better suited as a playmaker and finisher than a power forward type anyways. 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. – Scott Wheeler, The Athletic
Let’s add another player to the poll. It’s little winger, Andrew Cristall!
Cristall is very talented offensively. He has puck-on-a-string type of hands and routinely beats defenders with his stickhandling. He has a highly-imaginative offensive mind and very good vision with the puck. Cristall is so dangerous on the power play because of his skill but also his great shot, as he’s scored a ton of goals from range this season. The concerns come down to his frame and especially his skating. He lacks footspeed for the higher levels and has awkward skating mechanics that are concerning for his NHL projection where he too often defaults into the 10-2 skating style, overly relying on his edgework. He doesn’t shy from going to the net, but I wouldn’t call him a high-compete type. He will need to score a lot in the NHL to justify his various risk factors, and while I think he can get games due to his immense offensive talent, I have a hard time seeing him as a long NHL career type given his various risk factors. – Corey Pronman, The Athletic
Who should be No. 17 on the Community Draft Board?
Previously on the 2023 Community Draft Board…
