Giants Lin & Preston to Participate in NHL Combine This Week
Buffalo, NY – Vancouver Giants defenceman Ryan Lin and forward Mathis Preston are two of 90 prospects invited to participate in the 2026 NHL Scouting Combine, which began earlier this week.
The Combine will run June 1-6, and provides the 32 NHL teams with physical and medical assessments of the top prospects ahead of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft at KeyBank Center in Buffalo June 26-27.
“The NHL Combine is a rite of passage on a player’s path to the NHL and is an event that NHL clubs and prospects look forward to participating in,” NHL Central Scouting vice president and director Dan Marr said. “It’s a week full of interviews, medicals, and fitness testing where the players get to interact with NHL personnel and the NHL clubs get to learn as much as possible about the future stars of our game.”
Lin, a 5-foot-11 right-shot defenceman, led the Giants in scoring this past season with 57 points in 53 games (14G-43A). He was ranked 16th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting on their final list for the 2026 draft.
Lin ranked 4th amongst all WHL skaters in average ice-time per game (25:58) last season. His 1.08 points-per-game were the third-highest by a Giants defenceman in franchise history, trailing only Jonathon Blum (1.29 in 2008-09) and Mazden Leslie (1.09 in 2024-25).
Preston, a 5-foot-11 right-shot forward, recorded 12 points (4G-8A) in 10 games with Vancouver this season, missing significant time due to a lower-body injury that he suffered on January 10. He started the 2025-26 campaign with 32 points in 36 games for the Spokane Chiefs (14G-18A). Preston was ranked 32nd among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting on their final list for the 2026 draft.
Lin and Preston had standout performances for Canada at the IIHF Men’s U18 World Championships in April. Both were tied for 8th in tournament scoring, with Lin leading all defencemen in points with six (1G-5A). Preston recorded two goals and four assists, and led Canada in shots on goal (21). Lin also ranked first in plus-minus (+7).
There will be 56 forwards, 29 defensemen and five goalies attending the combine. All are listed in NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings of North American and International skaters and goaltenders.
Teams can have 1-on-1 interviews with prospects at KeyBank Center from June 1-5. The medical examinations will take place June 3, the Maximal VO2 bike test and isokinetic squat test, which is new to the Combine, will take place June 5, and the remaining eight of the 12 fitness tests will occur at HarborCenter on June 6 (standing height/wingspan, horizontal jump, force plate vertical jumps, bench press, pro agility test, pull ups, 10-meter sprint, Wingate Cycle Ergometer test). The 10-meter sprint, also new to the Combine, will be conducted in conjunction with the pro agility test.
