There was plenty of hype surrounding UConn freshman right wing Matthew Wood coming into this season.
And rightly so, after he blitzed the BCHL in 2021-22 for a league-leading 85 points in 46 games even though he was 16 years old for most of the season. Reputable NHL Draft analysts had him ranked as a potential first-rounder for 2023.
Now, even with the Hockey East regular season not quite finished, the verdict is in: The 6-foot-3, 193-pound Wood has lived up to his advance billing.
“I think he’s actually exceeded where I thought he’d be at this point in the season,” says UConn coach Mike Cavanaugh.
Wood, who turned 18 on Feb. 6 and is the youngest player in college hockey, leads the Huskies with 10-18-28 totals in 30 games. Heading into this week’s games, he was tied with Boston College’s Cutter Gauthier – the seventh overall pick in 2022 by Philadelphia – for the lead in points among Hockey East freshman forwards.
“I always knew he had high-end skill and an elite hockey IQ. He has great size. He can shoot the puck. The area where I’ve been so pleased with him is his compete on pucks and his ability to physically play a heavy game,” said Cavanaugh, whose team may be the most physical in the league.
“I wasn’t sure that was going to be the case this year because of his age and being so much younger and physically not as mature as most college hockey players, but it hasn’t been an issue. I’ve been really pleasantly surprised with how physical he can play.”
Asked to describe himself as a player, this was Wood’s answer:
“I would say I’m very smart offensively. I like to create offense. I use my shot. I can score from just about anywhere on the ice. I like making plays, making things happen offensively. Every time I step on the ice I’m looking to make a difference.”
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To be sure, his shot and the quickness with which he gets it off make him an elite offensive weapon at the college level.
“Obviously I was blessed with being tall and having the right mechanics to shoot, but I’ve put in a lot of work over the years and watched a lot of different people shoot and tried to learn just what would work for me. It’s a bit of both (natural gifts and hard work), but it definitely doesn’t come too easy,” he said.
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Something to think about: If things had worked out differently, Wood could be playing in the Western Hockey League this season instead of in Hockey East.
The Regina Pats used their first two picks in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft on Connor Bedard and Wood, who lived with Bedard’s family for a year while attending West Van Academy Prep in Vancouver.
Wood could be lining up at right wing beside his friend Bedard and giving WHL goalies nightmares.
The remarkable success of Bedard, the consensus No. 1 in the NHL draft, is no surprise to Wood.
“Even when I lived with him he treated games and practice like a pro. He works really hard and he deserves everything he gets. He’s an amazing player. I was able to learn a lot about his shot when I lived there that year. Just growing up, playing spring hockey, you could tell he was different than everyone else and he was something special. I’m excited to see how he does. The sky’s the limit for him,” Wood said.
Bedard chose one path and Wood chose another, but Wood is completely happy with his decision to go to UConn instead of major junior.
“Just coming in at a young age, learning from the older guys, has definitely helped grow my game. College is definitely a step up, playing against lots of older guys.,” he said.
“Everyone is big, strong, fast. It’s definitely been an adjustment, but I’m glad I made my decision to come to college. I think it’s helped me become a better player.
“Hockey East is definitely a challenge. Any team can beat anyone at any time. Any weekend you’ll look at the scores and somebody you didn’t expect to win wins.”
Wood committed to UConn at age 16 without ever actually setting foot on campus in Storrs.
With the pandemic going on, “it was hard to look at different schools,” Wood said.
Cavanaugh and associate head coach Joe Pereira, who is now at Boston University, “really recruited me hard,” he said. “I really liked them as people and as coaches and that was pretty much it. It felt like a good fit. It was pretty much all UConn.”
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Said Cavanaugh: “We had seen him play and we went out and visited with him as well. We did a home visit with him and met his family, so it wasn’t like he committed over Zoom. We did have a personal interaction with him, where it felt like we knew each other.”
Wood is UConn’s highest-profile recruit since Tage Thompson, who was selected in the first round (No. 26) by St. Louis in 2016 after his freshman year.
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“I think Tage probably shot the puck better. Now Matty has a great shot, too. You’re talking about Tage, who is one of the elite in the NHL at shooting the puck. But they’re probably pretty similar,” said Cavanaugh.
“Tage was a little bit bigger. He was probably 6-4, 6-5 when I had him. Matty’s probably 6-3. There’s a lot of comparisons and a lot of similarities, definitely, between the two of them.”
As far as the NHL Draft is concerned, “you can’t really hide from it, but I don’t really try and focus on it too much,” Wood said.
“I’m not really worried about what number I go. I just want to go to a team that wants me and wants me to succeed.”
