Predators First-Round Pick Matthew Wood Facing 'A Great Opportunity' After Transfer to Minnesota

Nashville Predators first-round pick Matthew Wood is officially a Golden Gopher.

After capping a standout sophomore season with the University of Connecticut Huskies in March, Wood entered the NCAA transfer portal and found a new team in the University of Minnesota, a premier member of the competitive Big Ten conference.

“UConn has been great for him,” Predators Assistant General Manager & Director of Player Development Scott Nichol said. “They recruited him and they developed him for the last two years. I think maybe in Matthew’s mind, he just wants a little bit of a change, but I know he’s really appreciative of UConn. But this gets him in a different conference, he'll be in the Big Ten playing against different teams, and I think that's the challenge that he's looking forward to.”

Selected 15th overall at the 2023 NHL Draft, the 6-foot-4, 196-pound forward led UConn in scoring in both his freshman (34pts, 23a) and sophomore (28pts, 16g) campaigns. Wood’s 16 goals in 2023-24 additionally established an NCAA career high, while his seven multi-point performances this season were the most among all Huskies skaters.

Twice tested on the global stage as a member of Canada’s U-18 World Championship roster, Wood also got his first taste of action at the World Juniors tournament this winter. Born Feb. 6, 2005, Wood entered the international competition as the second-youngest skater on Team Canada’s roster.

While his team exited the tournament earlier than expected after falling by a 3-2 decision to Team Czechia in the quarterfinals, Wood made the most of his playing time, recording two goals and two assists in five games.

“I think for all young players, it's an opportunity to get what you’re given and it’s what you do with it,” Nichol said. “He didn't play a whole lot, but the ice time that he got and the opportunity that he was given, I thought he made the most of it. He was very productive in the limited minutes he had, and I think just being around some of those players and the professionalism of the players and the coaches and kids around his same age, I think he was excited for that.

“I think he had a little bit of a slow start when he came back from World Juniors, where maybe he thought it was going to be easy. And that was another growth lesson for him. It took him a little while to get going, but he had a really good ending to his season.”

Indeed, after returning from the U-20 tournament, Wood finished his 2023-24 season on a five-game point streak, a span that featured three multi-goal performances - including his first career hat trick on March 1 - and four multi-point efforts.

Entering a new lineup and a new conference in 2024-25, Wood will have plenty of opportunities to challenge himself and further sharpen his game in his junior year.

“I think this is a great opportunity,” Nichol said. “Everything's new for him. He's going to have butterflies in the stomach and he's got to earn the coaches’ trust, and I think that'll be good for him… He's going to play the same way and he's going to get pushed and challenged. Young players are going to have their learning experiences and their ups and downs, but he'll be just fine.”

The Golden Gophers have won five NCAA national championship titles and made 13 trips to the championship game, 23 to the Frozen Four and 41 to the NCAA tournament.

Four different University of Minnesota alumni have gone on to play for the Predators: Tommy Novak, Erik Haula, Rem Pitlick and Wyatt Smith.