Matthew Wood surrounded by his parents and two sisters after making his NHL debut on Sunday, April 6 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN (Submitted photo)

By Ian Holmes

Living a dream

VIDEO: Nanaimo’s Matthew Wood makes NHL debut

Apr 7, 2025 | 11:52 AM

NANAIMO — Shortly after signing his entry level NHL contract, a former Nanaimo Minor Hockey player is making his childhood dream a reality.

Matthew Wood, a 20-year-old forward, played just over 13 minutes, including some second unit powerplay duty, in a 2-1 loss to the visiting Montreal Canadiens on Sunday, April 6 at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

“It was a great opportunity and really, really fortunate that I was able to experience that. After the first period, I was a lot less nervous and it was fun,” Wood told reporters after the game.

He came close to scoring in his NHL game, however, a hard shot from the slot to conclude the second period was stopped by Canadiens’ goaltender Jakub Dobes.

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Wood, who played on a third line with veterans Michael McCarron and Cole Smith, said it has been “an unbelievable experience so far” being around the Predators leading up to his first NHL game.

“There’s a lot to learn from and I think it was a great moment to enjoy it. One of my biggest strengths is to learn, so I enjoyed the moment and now tomorrow’s tomorrow and it’s time to learn,” Wood said after the game.

Interim Predators’ head coach Todd Richards was impressed by Wood’s game,

“I thought he showed very well tonight and it’s a real encouraging sign, a young player coming in. Big, didn’t look like speed was an issue, Montreal is a fast team and the ability to make some little plays. He had some good looks creating offence, he had some good looks himself as far as shooting the puck,” Richards said.

Predators’ star centre Steven Stamkos also felt Wood had a strong game.

“I thought he handled it great, looked really good out there and probably could have had a few points first couple of shifts, he made some great plays and obviously a big body but he looked pretty comfortable,” Stamkos said post-game.

Wood had a contingent of family and friends in attendance in Nashville.

His father Jamie told NanaimoNewsNOW the Predators suggested his family travel to Nashville in advance of games against the Canadiens and New York Islanders on Tuesday, April 8.

“There was no promises made, it’s pro hockey. We came here with the understanding that he may or may not be getting in the game. We found out Saturday night that he was going to play.”

The Woods took in the Predators pre-game skate in Nashville and received jerseys from the organization with the ‘Wood’ name bar on the back.

Jamie Wood said for him, it resonated after the first period that his son made it to the NHL.

“It was just a really cool day, cool moment,” he said. “It was nice for us to be able to be here for that and to see him make his debut in the NHL, that was just really special.”

Wood’s close friend former Nanaimo Clippers’ defenceman Brett Merner traveled to Nashville for the occasion, as did longtime Nanaimo-based trainer Clay Smith and his family.

Wood and Brett Merner at Bridgestone Arena. (Submitted photo)

Jamie Wood said many people in Nanaimo helped his son get to where he is soaking up his first NHL experience late in the regular season.

“I think it will be really good for him to see what it’s like, what he needs to keep working on and what life is like in the NHL.”

The Woods are in Nashville until Wednesday and will be able to watch Matthew play again on Tuesday night if he’s again told he’s in the Preds’ lineup against the visiting Islanders.

Matthew Wood signed his NHL deal shortly after finishing his season with the University of Minnesota, capping a three-year NCAA career.

Wood, a former Victoria Grizzlies standout in his 16-year-old season, was drafted 15th overall by the Predators in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

Clay Smith of Nanaimo-based Prime Sports Performance & Therapy and his family traveled to Nashville for Woods NHL debut. Smith is Wood’s longtime trainer. (Submitted photo)

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