Wood demonstrates offensive touch
BRAMPTON, Ont. – A player’s first Ontario Hockey League point is an achievement worth celebrating. For defenceman Kyle Wood of the Brampton Battalion, it came Sunday in a 4-2 victory over the Ottawa 67’s.
“It feels great,” said Wood, who earned an assist on Francis Menard’s game-winning goal at 4:41 of the second period.
“I just buried my head and put the puck on net. On that shot I was more looking for a rebound, because I knew we had guys around the net who could bang it in.”
Wood received the puck at the blue line and fired a wrist shot toward Ottawa goaltender Jacob Blair. Menard, at the right of the net, got his stick on the puck, deflecting it home to give the Battalion a 3-1 lead.
“I got the pass from Barclay Goodrow at the point,” said Wood. “I just tried to get the puck through, and Menard made a great play to tip it and it went in.”
Wood was called up last week for the rest of the season after his junior A Orangeville Flyers saw their campaign come to an end. Apart from earning his first point in his 12th OHL game, he made a stellar play in the first period, sliding to block a pass on a three-on-one Ottawa rush.
“Every game I’m feeling more and more confident,” said Wood, a third-round pick in the 2012 OHL Priority Selection. “The coaches have been giving me more ice time, and it’s showing me that they have faith in me. I’m also starting to feel closer with the guys here, so that helps too.”
Wood, who benefited from a lot of playing time with the Flyers, with whom he scored six goals and added 11 assists for 17 points in 46 games, has practised regularly with the Battalion all season. He accompanied the Troops on a four-day, three-game road trip in November, seeing action in a 4-3 victory over the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
“I was getting a lot of ice time in Orangeville, which helped me,” said Wood. “Being able to practise with the guys here really helped, though. I got to know everyone already, so it’s helped make me feel at home out there and in the room.”
Wood, a resident of Waterloo, Ont., has been soaking up advice from the veterans around him. By design, his stall is located between those of Zach Bell and Cameron Wind.
“I sit beside Wind and Bell in the room, and I’ll ask them anything. It really helps if I have questions about things on the ice. I’m really learning a lot from those guys this year.”
Said Bell: “We think Wood can be a great player. He just needs to learn to keep things a bit simpler. With that being said, he’s getting better at doing that. We’ve all been helping him a bit and giving him little pointers, and he’s responded by getting better.
“Wind and I both had the same experience as Wood in our rookie years. It’s helpful to have that veteran presence steer you in the right direction and make you a better player for the team on and off the ice.”
Bell said he’d like to see Wood, six-foot-four and 203 pounds, use his size to more effect.
“I want Wood to play a little more physical,” said Bell. “But I’m sure that will come. The helpful thing with having older guys on the team is that we can be the ones telling you what you want to hear, but we won’t shy away from giving constructive criticism when we know you can be better.”
Bell earned two assists against Ottawa, the second coming in a similar fashion to that of Wood. A slap shot from the blue line met Matt MacLeod’s stick and glanced into the net.
“That’s one of my jobs,” said Bell. “I have to be a good first-pass guy, a good physical guy, and I have to get pucks to the net. I’ve been trying to find the holes and get things toward the goaltenders for our forwards.”
The win moved the Battalion back into a tie with the Sudbury Wolves for second place in the Central Division and fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The Troops, with a won-lost-extended record of 29-24-9 for 67 points, have a game in hand on the Wolves, 28-24-11. The Guelph Storm won 4-2 at Sudbury.
“We got news at the second intermission that Sudbury was down to Guelph,” said Bell. “We knew we needed the points and went out in the third period and made it happen.”
