PREVIEW: Giants Begin New Era Friday Against Tri-City
LANGLEY, B.C. – A new era of Vancouver Giants hockey starts tonight when the Giants (16-22-1-1) host the Tri-City Americans (20-15-2-0) at Langley Events Centre at 7 p.m., following an incredibly busy trade deadline week.
The Giants made seven trades leading up to Thursday’s deadline, parting ways with seven players and bringing in six, plus several draft picks. Vancouver got younger with these moves and now hold six first-round picks over the next three drafts.
HOW TO TUNE IN
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NEW FACES
The new faces up front are two high-end 17-year-old talents and a 20-year-old: Mathis Preston is a projected first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, Joe Iginla is the son of Hockey Hall of Famer Jarome and the younger brother of Kelowna Rockets forward Tij and Misha Volotovskii is a veteran two-way centre who won a WHL Championship last year with Medicine Hat.
On the blueline, the Giants acquired two d-men to solidify their top-4: Will Sharpe was acquired from Kelowna and Kaleb Hartmann was acquired from Seattle. Jaxson Pawlenchuk was also acquired for added depth, someone who can jump in on forward or defence.
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
The Americans are a very streaky team: they won five in a row in late November, then lost four in a row, then won seven in a row and have since lost their last two, most recently on Wednesday in Kelowna, 5-2.
Tonight is the third of four meetings between Vancouver and Tri-City this season, with the G-Men still looking for their first win.
| LAST 4 H2H vs. TC (1-1-2-0) | ||
| DATE | LOCATION | RESULT |
| Nov. 22, 2025 | LEC | 4-3 OTL |
| Nov. 7, 2025 | Toyota Center | 5-2 L |
| Feb. 28, 2025 | Toyota Center | 3-2 OTL |
| Jan. 17, 2025 | LEC | 6-3 W |
LAST 5 GAMES (1-4-0-0) | 14 GF, 25 GA
| DATE | VAN RESULT | SCORE | VAN SCORERS | IN GOAL | GWG |
| Jan. 3 | LOSS | VAN 4 at POR 5 | Schmidt (2), Halaburda, Oreskovic | Pyne (34/39) | Brown (POR) |
| Jan. 2 | LOSS | VAN 2 at SPO 3 | Gerrior, Domenichelli | Hood (40/43) | Preston (SPO) |
| Dec. 30 | LOSS | VAN 1 vs. CGY 4 | Sparks | Pyne (32/36) | Amrhein (CGY) |
| Dec. 28 | WIN | KAM 3 at VAN 7 | Schmidt (3), Gerrior, Obobaifo, Oreskovic, Sparks | Hood (36/39) | Schmidt (VAN) |
| Dec. 27 | LOSS | VAN 4 at KEL 6 | Domenichelli (2), Sparks, Halaburda | Pyne (55/61) | Leslie (KEL) |
TALE OF THE TAPE (2025-26 REG SEASON)
| VANCOUVER | PORTLAND | |
| 16-22-1-1 — 34 points | Team Record | 20-15-2-0 — 42 points |
| 0.425 | Points % | 0.568 |
| 10th/16th | Conf./WHL Ranking | 5th/11th |
| 4-5-0-1 | Past 10 Games | 7-3-0-0 |
| 0-3-0-0 | Streak | 0-2-0-0 |
| 5-4 L at POR (Jan. 3) | Last Game | 5-2 L at KEL (Jan. 7) |
| 10-8-1-0 | Home Record | 13-6-1-0 |
| 6-14-0-1 | Away Record | 7-10-1-0 |
| 135 (3.38 – 16th) | GF | 109 (2.95 – 19th) |
| 169 (4.23 – 19th) | GA | 118 (3.19 – 9th) |
| -34 (19th) | Goal Differential | -9 (13th) |
| (33/130) 25.4% | PP (Overall) | (18/111) 16.2% |
| (44/139) 68.3% | PK (Overall) | (28/118) 76.3% |
| (1/4) 25% | PP vs. Opp. | (1/4) 25% |
| (1/4) 75% | PK vs. Opp. | (1/4) 75% |
| Lin (9-38-47) | Top Scorer | Virk (18-21-39) |
WHAT ARE WE WEARING
The Giants will be wearing their black and grey alternate jerseys tonight.
UPCOMING
Tonight is the first of three games this weekend.
| Date | Opponent | Location | Time |
| Friday, January 9 | Tri-City | Langley Events Centre | 7:00 PM |
| Saturday, January 10 | Wenatchee | Langley Events Centre | 7:00 PM |
| Sunday, January 11 | Wenatchee | Town Toyota Center | 4:00 PM |
