Why Miles Wood wanted to come to Colorado

It was a mutual fit for forward Miles Wood to come to Colorado and to the Avalanche organization. Here's why.

One thing is for sure – Miles Wood wanted to come to Colorado and the Avalanche wanted him here to stay. The organization signed him to a six-year deal worth $15 million on July 1.

The 27-year-old said he is a big outdoor guy and is really excited to come to Colorado. He said he has friends that live in the state and visits them in the offseason.

“From the start, Colorado was always a team that I would love to play for,” Wood said in a media conference on July 3. “I love the mountains, I’m an outdoor guy and whenever we’d go out to play them, it was such a great spot.”

It’s a bonus that Wood wanted to come to Colorado since Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland sought him out. His size and grit are just what MacFarland and president Joe Sakic have said they were looking to add to the team.

“He clearly has an Avs identity for how we want to play the game. And that north-south type approach and he’s got a little bit of a wrecking ball philosophy for how he plays the game,” MacFarland said in a media conference on July 1. “He’s a good net front guy that we feel is going to fit.”

Wood has spent his entire career with the New Jersey Devils after they picked him 100^th overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He said MacFarland told him he was on the Avs' radar for years, so that was a confidence boost for him.

“Just to play for a GM and a team and a coach that really wanted me, you know, that was the most important thing,” Wood said. “I think the most important thing is whoever you play with, with this team, you’re going to play with great players and I’m super excited for that.”

At 6-foot-2 and nearly 200 pounds, Wood is a big body the Avalanche have needed to help create more scoring opportunities. He said he’s a hard-nosed player who gets to the front of the net. And he doesn’t care where he plays in the lineup, he plays hard and defends his teammates.

“I just like to play hard. And wherever I play if it’s first line or fourth line or second line, it doesn’t matter to me,” Wood said. “I know I’m going to a great team. You know I just can’t wait to chip in with the ways I can and hopefully, we can have a lot of success here in the coming years.”

Although Wood said he doesn’t know any players on the team, he’s received several texts from guys welcoming him to the team. And he’s super excited to get going in the next chapter of his career in burgundy and blue.