Nanaimo hockey player Matthew Wood played his first NHL game in B.C. on Thursday with his team, the Nashville Predators, against the Vancouver Canucks.
Wood scored a goal in the second period, marking his 14th goal overall in the NHL, while he played in front of friends and family during his first NHL game in his home province.
The 6’4”, 202-pound right winger was the number 15 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, and previously played for the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies in the 2021-22 season, when he was named Rookie of the Year.
Wood went on to be the first rookie with the Nashville Predators to score multiple power-play goals in the same game, and is just the second rookie to score a hat trick.
The 21-year-old has 14 goals and 10 assists so far in the 2025-2026 season.
The home team Vancouver ended up beating the Predators in a 4-3 shootout Thursday night.
In 2022, while Wood was still with the Victoria Grizzlies, he told CHEK News he had his eyes on the NHL.
“Obviously the end goal is to play in the NHL and have a career and ultimately win the [Stanley] Cup,” he said. “That would be pretty cool.”
– With files from CHEK’s Andy Neal
READ & WATCH:
Adam Chan is a Digital News Editor who joined CHEK News in 2023. Previously, he worked as an Associate Digital Editor with CTV News Vancouver Island and Victoria Buzz.
In 2023, he was a recipient of…
More by Adam Chan