New Jersey Devils: Miles Wood Reinvents Himself, Again
By Nick Villano
The New Jersey Devils had a dominant performance against the Edmonton Oilers. There were plenty of players that stood out, but Miles Wood play was especially good to see.
The New Jersey Devils and Miles Wood were not on the same page all offseason. The team’s speedster went unsigned all the way through training camp and into the preseason. Wood didn’t sign his four-year deal until September 22nd. Apparently, it didn’t take him too long to find his legs again.
Wood seemed to immediately find great chemistry on the third line with Travis Zajac and John Quenneville. That was something that was missing from Wood’s game last season. He seemed to play on three different lines, and never had time to find chemistry with any of them. This season, he gets to play with a rookie and a veteran. It is a great combination.
That showed in the Devils first game of the season. Wood looks like a completely different player again. Last season, Wood worked on other parts of his game outside of his speed. As a rookie, Wood was a fast player who didn’t know what to do with his wheels. Last season, he was better at handling the puck, which helped him score 19 goals, but still didn’t have the hands to be a star. This season, however, it looks like the 23 year old developed some hands.
It started with a beautiful move by Wood, where he used a toe drag to get past a defender, and had a wide open net to shoot at. Unfortunately, his shot didn’t go, but the fact he learned those moves well enough this offseason to use them in an NHL game means something.
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Then, Wood showed another skill he has been working on; his passing. Wood used his speed to skate past Kris Russell, took the puck from goalie Cam Talbot, found a racing Travis Zajac and sent him the perfect pass for the game-winning goal. It was the type of play we didn’t see from Wood last season, which is why he was halted with just 12 assists.
He wasn’t done. Wood was the lone assist on Zajac’s second goal as well. He created a turnover in the offensive zone, sent the puck to Zajac who made a nice move to put it through Talbot’s five hole.
If this is the Wood we are going to get all season, expect some big numbers. Prior to this season, Wood had just one multi-assist games in his career. He had zero last season. Now, we should expect him to do it again and again. Wood showed he’s well worth the new contract, and worth more playing time overall.