NANAIMO — Matthew Wood is heading west.
The Nanaimo Minor Hockey product, who was drafted 15th overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft by the Nashville Predators, was traded Sunday, Nov. 1, to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for Kraken forward Shane Wright.
Since signing his first NHL deal in late March 2025 and debuting with the Predators a week later, the 21-year-old Wood has scored 18 goals and 34 points across 91 career National Hockey League games.
“Matthew is a young forward who adds size and an elite shot to our group,” Kraken GM Jason Botterill said in a statement. “He’s a skilled player, with high hockey sense, who demonstrated his offensive potential last season as a rookie in the National Hockey League. We’re thrilled to welcome Matthew to Seattle and excited to see his impact on our team.”
Matthew Wood during an in-studio interview at 106.9 FM The Wolf in July 2023 after being drafted by the Nashville Predators. (Image Credit: Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)
So far in the 2026/27 season, the Predators, who sit sixth in the eight-team Central Division, Wood has a goal and two assists in 14 games.
Wood scored his first NHL goal in October 2025 and a hat trick the following month.
Prior to being drafted, Wood was a BCHL standout with the Victoria Grizzlies, scoring 50 goals and 48 assists in 64 games, being named the league’s Rookie of the Year in 2022.
After the BCHL, Wood suited up for the UConn Huskies in the NCAA for two seasons before playing his Junior year with the University of Minnesota.
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