He’s done the same for Tucson, and the results are evident.

The 6-foot-5-inch, 235-pound Wood puts the power in power play, but his deft touch is what’s helped the Roadrunners light it up. Wood’s passing is highly regarded, and he leads the team with seven assists; no one else has more than four.

“He has those assists because he can see the ice,” Tucson assistant coach Mark Hardy said. “He makes very good passes, and when he’s in the offensive zone, he has a very good knack for keeping his head up. It’s tough to get it through all those guys, and he’s recognizing when guys are open or when they’re not.”

Hardy believes big things are in Wood’s future, and he’d know: Hardy played 15 seasons in the NHL with three teams and coached in the NHL for more than a decade.

“Offensively he has a knack for the game, that’s for sure,” Hardy said. “He knows where to go, and for a big man he handles the puck really well. He has a cannon of a shot, and that’s really benefited him. He sees the ice really well for a young defenseman.”

Most importantly to Hardy, “it has come naturally,” and not at the expense of Wood’s other game.