Now that the dust has settled, let me give me take on this pick:
Obviously, I was very high on Wood going into the draft. I actually had him in my top-ten.
I fell in love with him at the U18's, where he was clearly Canada's best player, far above the likes of Barlow, Cristall, Ritchie and even Celebrini. In that tournament especially, I think he showed that he's not just a shooter but he can score in every which way and create for others as well. He seems to have that "it" factor, that I don't think ultimately many in this draft had. If he can learn to use his body even more, look out.
Above all, he's got a good head on his shoulders. He went to NCAA as an underager (which is something that probably doesn't happen too often?) and listed brain games as his hobby in his draft profile. You can't teach Hockey IQ.
You also don't go to NCAA as a 17-year-old and lead your team in points if you're not special. He had 34 points in 35 games, at UConn with virtually no help whereas Fantilli had 65 points in 36 games in a powerhouse Michigan team including Luke Hughes, McGroarty, Brindley and Samoskevich to name a few.
The skating concerns are real, but let's face it - at 6-4 he's never going to be a speedburner and his skating will never be one of his strengths. And like we discussed in the other thread, he's only a couple of years away from his huge growth spurt, where he grew 9 inches in two years. So it's understandable his skating is just now getting caught up. This is actually the same reason Rinne's development took longer than usual.