Giants’ Lin, Preston Ranked in 1st Round by Sportsnet, The Athletic, EP

LANGLEY, B.C. – Vancouver Giants defenceman Ryan Lin and forward Mathis Preston have been ranked as first-round prospects by Sam Cosentino of Sportsnet and Scott Wheeler of The Athletic in their midseason rankings.

Scott Wheeler’s Midseason Top-64 was released on January 20 and had Lin ranked seventh overall and Preston 24th overall.

Wheeler on Lin:

“Lin is the smartest defenseman in this draft class and, for me, the most well-rounded. He led the Giants in ice time last season, playing more than 25 minutes per game as a 16-year-old, and blew me away with how he influenced play…Lin does everything at a high level, executes the small things extremely well and plays the game with a rare quality, maturity and detail for a D his age.”

Lin and Preston were two of seven WHL players on the ranking and the Giants were the only WHL team with multiple players on Wheeler’s list.

Wheeler on Preston:

“Preston is a shifty skater who attacks inside ice laterally but can also play out wide. He has slick handles on the puck and can attack off the rush or inside the offensive zone, challenging defenders one-on-one. He has a dangerous shot and quick release. He’s lethal in space but can also play in traffic and put pucks into space.”

Cosentino’s January NHL Draft Rankings were released last week, which had Lin at the 12th overall spot and Preston at the 29th overall spot. Lin was ranked as the third-best WHL player and Preston was ranked as the fifth-best WHL player on the rankings.

Cosentino on Lin:

“Lin’s skating defines his play. He has fancy edge-work, great straight-line speed and he can dance the blue line with ease. Lin also moves pucks efficiently and has the ability to run a first-unit power play.”

Lin was named the 24th captain in franchise history on January 9 after the Giants traded 20-year-old captain Ty Halaburda. Lin is the youngest Giants captain since Tyler Benson in 2015-16. So far this season, Lin is tied for third in scoring for defenceman in the WHL with 50 points (11G-39A) in 42 games.

NEWS: The Vancouver Giants are extremely proud to name Ryan Lin its next captain!

Congratulations Linner! pic.twitter.com/xFuu9zTNpP

— Vancouver Giants (@WHLGiants) January 10, 2026

Cosentino on Preston:

“He has everything required to be a top end point producer at the junior level, with great skating ability, magic hands, and a shot that is hard to pick up. He electrified the crowd for his new team with an overtime highlight-reel goal in his first appearance with the Giants after the trade from Spokane.”

Preston has 35 points (15G-20A) in 38 games and has three points (1G-2A) in two games with Vancouver, including an overtime winning goal for the Giants in his first game with the team.

MAGIC MATHIS PRESTON SCORES THE GAME WINNING GOAL 🤯🪄 pic.twitter.com/6FYL4MZJgl

— Vancouver Giants (@WHLGiants) January 10, 2026

Lin and Preston were also ranked as first round picks according to Elite Prospects in their January top-75 2026 NHL Draft Ranking, released on Jan. 21. The EP scouting staff had Lin 14th overall and Preston 26th overall.

The Giants were the only WHL team to have a pair of players projected as first round picks on this ranking as well.

OVERALL DRAFT RANKINGS

RYAN LIN:

MATHIS PRESTON: