With trade rumors abound, David Poile, Barry Trotz, and the Nashville Predators held tight to their two first-round picks at the 2023 NHL Draft Wednesday, selecting forward Matthew Wood and defender Tanner Molendyk.
Wood, who was ranked 17th overall on Penalty Box Radio’s final list, is a 6’4″ winger who plays at the University of Connecticut. As the youngest player in college hockey, he scored 11 goals and 34 points in 35 games for the Huskies last year then added seven goals and 13 points in seven games at the U18 World Junior Championship (WJC). His collegiate scoring was 3rd among draft-eligible freshmen in the NCAA.
Wood is an excellent goal scorer. He can pick corners from a distance, but he also puts home a good number of goals by digging around in high-danger areas. His patience with and protection of the puck improved as the season went on, using his frame to draw defenders out of position by maintaining possession for an extra second. The biggest drawback to his game is poor skating mechanics that severely limit his reaction time to loose pucks.
Molendyk, who was ranked 47th overall on Penalty Box Radio’s final list, is a 5’11” left-shot defender who plays for the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades. In his sophomore junior hockey season, he posted nine goals and 37 points in 67 games—third among Blades’ defenders.
He’s one of if not the best-skating defenders in this draft class. His mechanics are flawless, he has impressive lateral agility, and he plays with excellent pace. Molendyk stars in the transition game, and his footwork adds up to some solid defensive skills, including aggressive gap closures. I have reservations about how much offense he can drive at the pro level, but he has a great foundation.
All statistics are courtesy of eliteprospects.com.
