SEATTLE (November 1, 2026) — Today, Seattle Kraken General Manager Jason Botterill announced that the team has acquired forward Matthew Wood from the Nashville Predators in exchange for forward Shane Wright.
“Matthew is a young forward who adds size and an elite shot to our group,” said Botterill. “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. We thank Shane for his contributions to our organization and the city of Seattle, and we wish him all the best in Nashville.”
Wood, 21, has posted three points (1g/2a) in 14 games with the Predators this season. He shares sixth among Nashville forwards with six blocked shots and ranks seventh with 12 hits.
The 6-foot-4, 202-pound forward recorded 30 points (17g/13a) in 71 regular-season games with the Predators during the 2025-26 campaign. Wood shared eighth among NHL rookies and ranked fourth on the club with 17 goals. He logged his 17th goal of the season, a game-winning goal, on April 11 against Minnesota and surpassed Adam Hall (16 in 2002-03) and Luke Evangelista (16 in 2023-24) for the fourth-most goals by a rookie skater in a single-season team history. Wood (62 games) scored on March 17 against Winnipeg and became the third-fastest skater in club history to score his first 15 NHL goals, trailing Tanner Jeannot (48) and Filip Forsberg (52).
Wood has compiled 34 points (18g/16a) in 91 career regular-season NHL games with Nashville from 2024-27.
His 34 points share 10th among all skaters taken in the 2023 NHL Draft. The forward has also tallied four points (1g/3a) in five regular-season American Hockey League (AHL) games with Milwaukee.
Prior to turning pro, Wood split time between the University of Connecticut (NCAA) and the University of Minnesota (NCAA), totaling 101 points (44g/57a) in 109 collegiate games from 2022-25. During his junior season with the Gophers in 2024-25, Wood shared second on the club with a career-high 39 points (17g/22a) in 39 games, earning Big Ten Honorable Mention All-Star honors and helped Minnesota to a Regular Season Big Ten Championship.
Wood also spent time with the Victoria Grizzlies in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) from 2020-22, compiling 98 points (50g/48a) in 64 regular-season games. He posted 85 points (45g/40a) in 46 games with the Grizzlies in 2021-22, leading all league skaters in points and goals. He was named the BCHL Rookie of the Year and earned BCHL First Team All-Star and All-Rookie Team honors.
On the international stage, the Nanaimo, British Columbia native represented Canada at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, sharing third on the club with four points (4g/4a) in five games. Wood also helped Team Canada to a bronze medal at the 2023 IIHF U18 World Championships, tallying 13 points (7g/6a) in seven games. He led Canada with seven goals and ranked second on the club with 13 points.
Wood was originally selected by Nashville in the first round (15th overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft.
