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New Jersey Devils: Miles Wood Point Prediction For 2018-19 Season

By Nick Villano

NEWARK, NJ - APRIL 05: Miles Wood #44 of the New Jersey Devils scores a goal at 17:02 of the second period against Frederik Andersen #31 of the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Prudential Center on April 5, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ - APRIL 05: Miles Wood #44 of the New Jersey Devils scores a goal at 17:02 of the second period against Frederik Andersen #31 of the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Prudential Center on April 5, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Over the next few weeks, Pucks and Pitchforks will release their points predictions for every starting player on the New Jersey Devils main roster. Today, we predict what Miles Wood will do after signing his new contract.

Up until last week, the New Jersey Devils and their fans were on the edge of their seats waiting for Miles Wood to re-sign with the team. He was a restricted free agent, so he wasn’t going anywhere, but things got scary when he didn’t show up to training camp.

That’s all in the past now, as is Wood’s big second year. Wood scored 19 goals last season. That’s after he struggled to turn his speed into offensive production in his rookie year.

We already know this, but Wood’s speed is what separates him from other players in the league. In fact, we could put his speed up against just about any other player. He races up the ice past defensemen with ease, and uses that to turn passes into chances.

What was different last season is Wood learned how to make chances that had nothing to do with his speed. I remember in one particular game where Wood beat the Tampa Bay Lightning all by himself. He turned Andrej Sustr into a bloody mess after a pretty bad hit to Vladislav Namestnikov. After that move, he ended up scoring the game-winning goal to be at the best team in the Eastern Conference.

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Sure, Wood was suspended two games for that hit, but that’s what you get with Wood. He hits hard and makes plays.

So, what should we expect from Wood this upcoming season? He may start a little slow after missing the first few weeks of training camp. That will affect his overall point total, but at just 23 years old, he is still improving as a player every season.

Goals: 20
Assists: 17
Points: 37

Expect Wood to once again improve on his goal total, but only slightly since he will have a slow start. Hopefully, he gets a little more time on the ice after getting less than every other forward last year. Maybe if John Hynes trusts him more, he can do even better than predicted.

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