Gophers men's hockey lands top transfer Matthew Wood

The Gophers men's hockey team hasn't been an active player in the transfer portal over the past few seasons. On Sunday, that changed in a big way.

Matthew Wood, a 2023 first-round draft pick of the Nashville Predators who played two seasons at Connecticut, is transferring to the Gophers, a source with knowledge of the situation told the Star Tribune. Wood entered the transfer portal last week and received interest from Michigan and North Dakota, among other programs.

The 19-year-old Lethbridge, Alberta native played the past two seasons for UConn, leading the Huskies in scoring each season. He collected 11 goals and 23 assists in 35 games in 2022-23 and followed that up with 16 goals and 12 assists in 35 games this season. Wood finished his sophomore season on hot streak, scoring five goals in his final three games, including two against top-ranked Boston College in the Hockey East tournament.

The 6-4, 196-pounder played for the Victoria Grizzlies of the British Columbia Hockey League in 64 games over two seasons, amassing 50 goals and 48 assists — including 45 goals and 85 points in 46 games in 2021-22.

Wood, who turned 19 in February, also played for Canada in the 2023 under-18 world championships, scoring seven goals and assisting on six in seven games, and in the 2024 world junior championship, in which he had two goals and two assists in five games.

Considered one of the best pure shooters in the 2023 NHL draft, Wood jumped from No. 8 among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting's mid-term rankings to No. 4 in its final rankings, trailing only No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard, 2023 Hobey Baker Award winner Adam Fantilli and Will Smith, now a Boston College standout.

The addition of Wood is a second positive development for the Gophers since their loss in the NCAA Sioux Falls Regional final on March 30. Forward Jimmy Snuggerud, the team's third-leading scorer and a first-round pick of the St. Louis Blues, announced last week that he's returning for his junior season. Snuggerud has 42 goals and 42 assists in 79 career games.

With Wood in the fold, the Gophers could have a potential top line of three first-round picks with Oliver Moore, a Chicago Blackhawks 2023 selection, centering Wood and Snuggerud.