Miles William Wood (born September 13, 1995) is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). Wood was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the fourth round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

Miles Wood
Wood with the Colorado Avalanche in 2023
Born (1995-09-13) September 13, 1995 (age 28)
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Height6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
PositionLeft wing
ShootsLeft
NHL team
Former teams
Colorado Avalanche
New Jersey Devils
National team United States
NHL draft100th overall, 2013
New Jersey Devils
Playing career2016–present

Playing career

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Wood was born in Buffalo, New York but grew up in Manchester, Massachusetts.[1] As a youth, Wood played in the 2007 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Middlesex Islanders minor ice hockey team, along with teammates Jon Gillies and Matt Grzelcyk.[2]

Wood was playing at the prep school level with the Noble and Greenough School when he was drafted 100th overall, in the fourth round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils. He remained at the school for the next two years, graduating in 2015.[3]

Following the 2015–16 season, his freshman year with Boston College in the Hockey East, Wood ended his collegiate career and signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Devils on April 8, 2016.[4] He made his NHL debut for the Devils the following night on April 9, in a 5–1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs.[5]

On November 29, 2016, Wood scored his first NHL goal in a 3–2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.[6]

The 2017–18 season was a breakout year for Wood who set career highs in points and played in his first NHL playoff game. On November 12, 2017, Wood scored his first NHL hat trick in a 7–5 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.[7] On February 18, 2018, Wood was suspended without pay for 2 games for boarding Tampa Bay Lightning forward Vladislav Namestnikov.[8] Wood helped the Devils clinch a spot in the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs by scoring the goal that won the game in a 2–1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 5, 2018.[9] Wood ended the regular season with a career-best 32 points and signed a four-year contract with the Devils before the 2018–19 season.[10]

Having played eight seasons with the Devils, Wood left the organization as a free agent and was promptly signed to a six-year, $15 million contract with the Colorado Avalanche on the opening day of free agency on July 1, 2023.[11]

Personal life

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When Wood was 11 years old he wrote a letter to Washington Capitals star, Alexander Ovechkin, asking him to autograph his hockey card. In the letter, Wood promised that if Ovechkin did not sign and return the card that he would check him the first chance he got to play against him when he made it to the NHL. Although Ovechkin never returned the card, he autographed a photo for Wood before facing him for the first time at the Verizon Center.[12]

Wood's father, Randy Wood, played in the NHL for the New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Dallas Stars. Wood's older brother, Tyler, briefly played in Germany during his career.[13]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
2010–11Salem Ice DogsEmJHL13459820000
2011–12Salem Ice DogsEmJHL1481928
2012–13Noble & GreenoughUSHS158101818
2013–14Noble & GreenoughUSHS2829255416
2014–15Noble & GreenoughUSHS171718358
2015–16Boston CollegeHE3710253576
2015–16New Jersey DevilsNHL10000
2016–17New Jersey DevilsNHL60891786
2016–17Albany DevilsAHL1544834200010
2017–18New Jersey DevilsNHL7619133284500014
2018–19New Jersey DevilsNHL6310142491
2019–20New Jersey DevilsNHL6811122357
2020–21New Jersey DevilsNHL551782529
2021–22New Jersey DevilsNHL30004
2022–23New Jersey DevilsNHL7613142776820214
2023–24Colorado AvalancheNHL7491726751130313
NHL totals47687871745022450541

International

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YearTeamEventResultGPGAPtsPIM
2015United StatesWJC5th50006
2016United StatesWC4th101018
Junior totals50006
Senior totals101018

References

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  1. ^ "PODCAST: Miles Wood's connection to an Oscar nominated film". October 14, 2019.
  2. ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  3. ^ Gravellese, Joseph (September 11, 2015). "28 Days Til BC Hockey: Get To Know #28, Miles Wood". BC Interruption. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  4. ^ "Devils sign forward Miles Wood". NHL.com. April 8, 2016. Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  5. ^ "Henrique scores 2, Devils beat Leafs in season finale". ESPN. April 9, 2016. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  6. ^ "Devils fall to Jets despite strong effort by pair of rookies". NY Daily News. November 29, 2016. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  7. ^ "Miles Wood has hat trick, Devils outscore Blackhawks 7-5". Washington Post. Associated Press. November 13, 2017. Archived from the original on November 16, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  8. ^ "Wood suspended two games for actions in Devils game against Lightning". NHL.com. February 18, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  9. ^ Rosen, Dan (April 5, 2018). "Devils clinch playoff berth with win against Maple Leafs". NHL.com. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  10. ^ "Devils re-sign forward Miles Wood to a four-year contract". NHL.com. September 22, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  11. ^ "Avalanche signs Miles Wood". Colorado Avalanche. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  12. ^ Gulitti, Tom (December 30, 2016). "Devils rookie finally gets Alex Ovechkin's autograph". NHL.com. Washington. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  13. ^ "TYLER WOOD". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
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