From the Harbour City to the Music City.
Matthew Wood of Nanaimo hugged his dad Jamie, mother Carie and sisters Maggie and Celia at Bridgestone Arena after being selected 15th overall in the first round of the NHL draft Wednesday night in Nashville by the host Predators.
“You think about how much your family has helped you along the way, and the sacrifices your parents made, and I am so grateful,” said Wood, who played two seasons for the Victoria Grizzlies of the B.C. Hockey League before moving on the NCAA and the University of Connecticut Huskies.
“My dad coached me through minor hockey and helped me out a lot.”
Jamie Wood, educational adviser at Vancouver Island University, has the background to guide his son in the right direction and was assistant women’s hockey coach for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Big Ten and the University of New Hampshire and two-time NCAA Div. III national champion head coach with Elmira College in New York.
Matthew Wood said his dad let him make his own decisions coming out of North Island Silvertips U-18 AAA. One of those was in choosing the BCHL and NCAA over becoming 2023 NHL No. 1 pick Connor Bedard’s teammate in the WHL with the Regina Pats.
The decision worked out just fine as the Pats mostly went nowhere, even with Bedard, and Wood had the rare occurrence of being drafted by the team hosting the draft.
“Welcome to Smashville, Matthew,” read the big video board as Wood came to the stage to be greeted by Nashville Predators team executives, including new GM Barry Trotz and retiring GM David Poile.
Wood realizes the draft is not the destination in itself: “This is just the beginning of the journey. The work has only just started and is not close to being over.”
The six-foot-four forward knows his eventual transition to the pro game is only at the nascent stage. He is considered a project and was the youngest player in NCAA Div. 1 this past season with 11 goals and 34 points in 35 games as a UConn freshman after winning the BCHL scoring championship the previous season with the Grizzlies.
“I know I need to get stronger and faster and that will come with time and I’m on the right path,” said Wood, who has been working out through the spring and summer at Prime Sport Performance and the Nanaimo Ice Centre.
Wood, who will return to UConn next season, became the second first-round NHL draft pick in five years out of the Grizzlies after Stanley Cup-champion Alex Newhook, now with the Montreal Canadiens, went 16th overall to the Colorado Avalanche in 2019.
“That’s a pretty good track record,” said Grizzlies governor and majority owner Ron Walchuk, as he watched on TV as Wood took to the stage.
“We look after our players. We make it a place where players want to come and be a part of. We pride ourselves in having a good program, and it has shown in the NHL draft.”
Wood also historically became the second UConn player chosen in the first round, following Tage Thompson, 26th overall in 2016 by the Buffalo Sabres. According to the Hartford Courant, UConn and Michigan are the only two schools in the NCAA this season to have top-15 picks in the NHL, NBA and WNBA.
Wood became the sixth-highest Island-raised player taken in the NHL draft following Mel Bridgman first overall in 1975, Rick Lapointe fifth overall in 1975, Russ Courtnall seventh overall in 1983, Paul Cyr ninth overall in 1982 and Rod Brind’Amour ninth in 1988.
The remaining six rounds of the NHL draft will take place today with several Island players expected to be selected. Six-foot-two centre Owen Beckner of Victoria, out of the Racquet Club Kings and BCHL Salmon Arm Silverbacks, is the 86th-ranked North American skater by Central Scouting.
Grizzlies defenceman Hoyt Stanley, headed to NCAA Div. 1 Cornell, is ranked as the 85th North American skater and Victoria forward Ty Halaburda of the WHL Vancouver Giants, out of the Juan de Fuca Minor Hockey Association and the Langford-based Pacific Coast Hockey Academy, is ranked 89th.
Victoria Royals WHL defencemen Kalem Parker and Justin Kipkie are ranked 93rd and 107th, respectively, among North American skaters.
