Predators Recall Zachary L’Heureux, Matthew Wood Ahead of Blackhawks Game

The Nashville Predators recalled forwards Zachary L’Heureux and Matthew Wood from their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, in a club announcement dated February 22, 2026, moves General Manager Barry Trotz made to add depth as the NHL returns from the Olympic break ahead of Thursday’s 7 p.m. CST matchup with the Chicago Blackhawks at Bridgestone Arena.

Zachary L’Heureux, listed at 5-foot-11 and 197 pounds, is a 22-year-old late first-round pick from the 2021 draft who made his NHL debut on October 22, 2024, against Boston. L’Heureux has played 28 games for Milwaukee this season and scored 14 goals; sources differ on his assist total, with the Predators’ official stat line listing 13 assists for 27 points while the Admirals’ release and other outlets list 14 assists for 28 points. L’Heureux returned from a lower-body injury that followed a November 4 recall and a Dec. 13 reassignment, and since rejoining Milwaukee he posted a career-long eight-game point streak beginning January 23, produced five multi-point games, recorded a four-point night (1 goal, 3 assists) in a 7-3 win over the Manitoba Moose on January 8, and accrued a heavy penalty-minute game with 28 PIM in a 5-3 win over the Rockford IceHogs on January 27. As a 2024–25 rookie he played 62 NHL games, collected 15 points with 5 goals and 10 assists, led NHL rookies with 198 hits, and finished that season with 63 penalty minutes among first-year players.

Matthew Wood, a 21-year-old 6-foot-4 winger and a first-round pick in 2023, was reassigned to Milwaukee on February 5 before the Olympic break and answered with three points in three AHL games during the layoff. Hockey News’ game logs note Wood had 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) in his last three Milwaukee games, including two points in a 5-2 loss to the Texas Stars on February 20. Wood opened the NHL season strongly, 10 points in his first 11 NHL games and an early career hat trick, but his production cooled, with reports of limited ice time and a slowdown to three points in January; one account places his season total at 17 points in 46 NHL games prior to this recall.

Trotz’s Feb. 22 moves accompany recent roster churn for the Predators, who recalled Reid Schaefer earlier in February and have shuffled prospects between Nashville and Milwaukee all season. The immediate impact will be whether coach Andrew Brunette inserts L’Heureux’s physical bottom-six profile or Wood’s size and regained scoring touch into the lineup for Thursday’s game against Chicago. Teams will be watching game-day scratches and the official gametime roster to see which of the two forwards draws in.