UConn men’s hockey lands one of the highest-rated recruits in program history

UConn men’s hockey landed one of the most highly-rated recruits in program history on Thursday when Matthew Wood committed to the Huskies, a source told The UConn Blog. A 2005 forward out of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Wood will graduate high school in 2023 and is expected to come to Storrs that fall.

Wood is listed at 6-4, 185 pounds but grew an inch and added 15 pounds in the last year, so he could be even bigger by the time he arrives at UConn. He’s a power forward with a good hockey sense and scoring touch, one source said.

Another source called Wood a “special talent” and believes the forward is one of the best prospects the Huskies have pulled out of British Columbia and could be one of their top commitments ever. Wood will be eligible for the 2023 NHL Draft.

In 2019 — when Wood was just 14 — Neutral Zone gave him an A+ grade and described him as an elite goalscorer who can beat defenders with a combination of fakes, skill, and strength.

Wood was one of only a few ‘05 prospects to play in the BCHL this past year. In 18 games with the Victoria Grizzlies, he totaled five goals and eight assists.

British Columbia has been a fertile recruiting ground for UConn. Jonny Evans — the only All-American in the program’s Division I history — Carter Berger, Carter Turnbull, Hudson Schandor and Logan Terness are all players on the team’s current roster that hail from the Pacific Northwest.

Wood is the Huskies’ second ‘05 commitment, joining forward Thomas Klochkov.