:  Tage Thompson


There's no real way around it – Matthew Wood struggled last season. Some of that was environmental. UConn was hardly lighting Hockey East on fire last season. Some of that was on Wood, though. Still, there were enough flashes of the power game and playmaking ability that we admired in his draft year that we're willing to stand by the player and hope for a bounce-back season at Minnesota. With an added step and better coordination as a handler at pace, he could still develop into that power playmaker that we projected him to be in his draft year. (EliteProspects, 2024)