It's hard to believe that Matthew Wood did not start the season with the Nashville Predators.

The Predators' 2023 first-round pick had a strong preseason, which included four points in back-to-back games. That was derailed when he suffered an upper-body injury in the Gold Star Showcase on Sept. 25. 

Despite making the opening night roster, he'd miss the Predators' first game of the regular season, but returned to practice the following day. Instead of making his NHL season debut, the Predators would assign him to the Milwaukee Admirals. 

Wood played just two games in Milwaukee, scoring a point before the Predators brought him back down to Nashville. That move has been one of the few silver linings in the first month of the Predators' season. 

The rookie has scored 10 points in 11 games, which included his first career hat trick in a 6-3 loss to the New York Rangers on Monday. Wood is the youngest player to score a hat trick in franchise history and the first rookie in Predators history to record multiple power play goals in a game.

It was also the first time this season that the Predators had scored multiple power-play goals in a game.

"There's a lot of history here and obviously it's a very special moment," Wood said on scoring a hat trick at Madison Square Garden. "Some people come to mind who've helped me get here. If it's a good or bad game, I'm just trying to flush it and get ready for the next." 

All of this comes just six games after he scored his first career goal against the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 30. 

While the Predators have lost eight of their last nine, Wood has continued to progress and rise as one of the team's top individual scorers. He's tied for third in points on the team and has played seven fewer games than the players he's tied with or trailing. 

"He's gaining his confidence and is getting better every single day," Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said. "It's fun to see him get a hat trick. I know it was a tough night for the group, but hat tricks are always fun, especially for a young player." 

Breaking down his hat trick, Wood scored from a variety of places on the ice. His first goal was off a rebound, in front of the net, that floated in.

The second goal, on the power play, was a one-timer from the right faceoff circle, a shot the Predators' power play unit has been trying to get going all season.

The last goal was from the right face-off circle, wristing a shot under heavy pressure that beat the goalie high. It was a play in which Wood used his 6-foot-4-inch frame to get a comfortable enough shot off from an awkward angle. 

Considering how bad the Predators' offense has been, and that Wood was all of it against the Rangers, it may be worth looking at moving him up the lineup. Nashville needs as much scoring as it can get, and a lot of it is stemming from Wood. 

"I'm just trying to build my confidence, go out there and give my best effort, and have fun every night," Wood said. "This is the NHL. This is every kid's dream. I'm not trying to take any day for granted."