[{"id":88437,"date":"2026-06-22T15:33:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T22:33:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/?p=88437"},"modified":"2026-06-22T15:33:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T22:33:28","slug":"lin-preston-ranked-in-1st-round-on-multiple-final-nhl-draft-rankings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/article\/lin-preston-ranked-in-1st-round-on-multiple-final-nhl-draft-rankings","title":{"rendered":"Lin, Preston Ranked in 1st Round on Multiple Final NHL Draft Rankings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Langley, B.C. <\/strong>\u2013 Vancouver Giants skaters Ryan Lin<\/strong><\/a> and Mathis Preston<\/strong><\/a> are first-round candidates for the 2026 NHL Draft, according to multiple final rankings for the 2026 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

Lin is ranked in the top-15 on eight different NHL draft rankings, including being ranked 10th overall<\/strong><\/a> by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic and 12th overall by both Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff<\/a> and Jason Bukala of Sportsnet<\/a>\/Pro Hockey Group.<\/p>\n

“He’s just an excellent all-around modern defenceman who gets it, and I think there’s some Josh Morrissey\/Jared Spurgeon in him,” Wheeler said in his ranking. “I think he’s a phenomenal player who plays the game the way it’s meant to be played, and he might be my favourite prospect in the draft.”<\/p>\n

Bukala, a former NHL Director of Amateur Scouting with the Florida Panthers, is the founder of The Pro Hockey Group<\/a>, which populates scouting reports on pro and amateur players around the world.<\/p>\n

“Lin’s a projectable, puck-moving, high-IQ defenseman who plays a well-rounded game,” Samuel Tirpak, a scout with The Pro Hockey Group, said in his evaluation<\/a>. “He is capable of playing on both special teams and logging big minutes at the same time. A smart decision-maker in all three zones who improved his physical game from a consistency standpoint. Great first pass, great DZ coverage and gap control defensively. In my opinion, he projects as a top-pair, number-two defender in the NHL.”<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

A visual look at the Pro Hockey Group’s evaluation of Lin’s attributes.<\/p><\/div>\n

Lin is the 16th ranked North American skater<\/a> by NHL Central Scouting heading into the 2026 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

See below for a consolidation of Lin’s ranking on 13 different lists:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Rank<\/strong><\/td>\nPublication<\/strong><\/td>\nAuthor<\/strong><\/td>\nReleased<\/strong><\/td>\nTakeaways<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
9th<\/td>\nHockey Prospecting<\/a><\/td>\nByron Bader<\/td>\nMay 22<\/td>\n“Lin probably isn\u2019t talked about enough. He has a really elite profile in the model…If he hits, there\u2019s a good chance he hits really big.”<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10th<\/td>\nThe Athletic<\/a><\/td>\nScott Wheeler<\/td>\nJune 3<\/td>\n“The smartest defenseman in this draft and arguably its most well-rounded…does almost everything at a high level.”<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
11th<\/td>\nCam’s Consensus<\/a><\/td>\nPoll of NHL Scouts<\/td>\nJune 4<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a012th<\/td>\nDaily Faceoff<\/a><\/td>\nSteven Ellis<\/td>\nJune 22<\/td>\n“One of the most naturally skilled defensemen in this class. High-end decision-making combined with explosive skating makes him a one-man transition machine.”<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
12th<\/td>\nSportsnet<\/a><\/td>\nJason Bukala<\/td>\nJune 9<\/td>\n“A transitional defenceman and power play quarterback. He added more of a \u201cshooting\u201d approach to his game offensively this season.”<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
13th<\/td>\nHockey Prospect Radio<\/a><\/td>\nShane Malloy<\/td>\nJune 1<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a015th<\/td>\nSportsnet<\/a><\/td>\nSam Cosentino<\/td>\nJune 17<\/td>\n“When he returned at the end of February he looked revitalized. Lin already has elite skill and, with more refinement, he can impact the game in all areas of the ice.”<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
15th<\/td>\nElite Prospects<\/a><\/td>\nMultiple Authors<\/td>\nJune 2<\/td>\n“The draft’s most detailed defender plays a remarkably consistent defensive and puck-moving game; a high-probability top-four defender.”<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17th<\/td>\nThe Hockey News<\/a><\/td>\nTony Ferrari<\/td>\nJune 22<\/td>\n“One of the best breakout passers in the draft class, and his playmaking in the offensive zone is quite impressive. His skating is strong, allowing him to evade pressure.”<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17th<\/td>\nTSN<\/a><\/td>\nCraig Button<\/td>\nJune 17<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17th<\/td>\nSmaht Scouting<\/a><\/td>\nMultiple Authors<\/td>\nJune 18<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18th<\/td>\nTSN Consensus<\/a><\/td>\nPoll of NHL Scouts<\/td>\nJune 22<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18th<\/td>\nDobber Prospects<\/a><\/td>\nMultiple Authors<\/td>\nJune 22<\/td>\n“A very intelligent two-way WHL defenseman…will activate in the offensive zone and is a real threat to score.”<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
20th<\/td>\nFloHockey<\/a><\/td>\nChris Peters<\/td>\nJune 15<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Preston is ranked in the top-20 on five rankings and is a first-round pick on eight different NHL draft rankings, including being ranked 9th overall<\/strong><\/a> by Tony Ferrari of The Hockey News and 22nd overall<\/strong><\/a> by Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

“Possibly the most divisive player in the draft class, Mathis Preston is the king of upside in this class,” Ferrari said in his ranking<\/a>. “When you watch him on the ice, though, he’s a high-paced, high-skill winger who is like a knife through butter in transition at times…Preston is always looking to make an impact offensively, using his snappy shot and slick passing to generate scoring chances. He has all of the potential in the world to be one of the most effective offensive players in this draft class.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Ellis noted a strong showing for Canada at the IIHF U-18 Worlds may have helped his draft stock.<\/p>\n

“Preston left scouts wanting more during the season [but] they fell in love again at the U-18s, where he was one of Canada\u2019s top players every single game,” Ellis said in his ranking<\/a>. “He\u2019s an undeniably talented player who could become a top-six threat down the line. Preston has a remarkable shot and often wastes no time firing in the back of the net from the slot. It\u2019s NHL-ready right now \u2013 something very few 17\/18-year-olds can claim. Preston consistently finds open space, but he can also create those opportunities with his skating. He\u2019s fast, can start and stop on a dime and can often skate himself out of dangerous situations.”<\/p>\n

Preston is the 32nd ranked North American skater<\/a> by NHL Central Scouting heading into the 2026 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

See below for a consolidation of Lin’s ranking on 12 different lists:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Rank<\/strong><\/td>\nPublication<\/strong><\/td>\nAuthor<\/strong><\/td>\nReleased<\/strong><\/td>\nTakeaways<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
9th<\/td>\nThe Hockey News<\/a><\/td>\nTony Ferrari<\/td>\nJune 22<\/td>\n“The king of upside in this class…his ability to be a true game-breaker is too enticing.”<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
11th<\/td>\nSmaht Scouting<\/a><\/td>\nMultiple Authors<\/td>\nJune 18<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
19th<\/td>\nDobber Prospects<\/a><\/td>\nMultiple Authors<\/td>\nJune 22<\/td>\n“A highly dynamic winger who can burn defenders on the outside and then make a move on the goalie to seal the deal.”<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
20th<\/td>\nHockey Prospecting<\/a><\/td>\nByron Bader<\/td>\nMay 22<\/td>\n“As a late 1st rounder, early 2nd he\u2019s going to be great value.”<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a022nd<\/td>\nDaily Faceoff<\/a><\/td>\nSteven Ellis<\/td>\nJune 22<\/td>\n“An undeniably talented player who could become a top-six threat down the line. Preston has a remarkable shot and often wastes no time firing.”<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
23rd<\/td>\nThe Athletic<\/a><\/td>\nScott Wheeler<\/td>\nJune 3<\/td>\n“A shifty and fast skater who can attack inside ice laterally but can also play out wide and burn for odd-man rushes, and excelled after moving to his off-wing (left wing) in Vancouver.”<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
28th<\/td>\nCam’s Consensus<\/a><\/td>\nPoll of NHL Scouts<\/td>\nJune 4<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
31st<\/td>\nTSN Consensus<\/a><\/td>\nPoll of NHL Scouts<\/td>\nJune 22<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
33rd<\/td>\nElite Prospects<\/a><\/td>\nMultiple Authors<\/td>\nJune 2<\/td>\n“Blazing speed and explosive shooting make him a rush threat, but must develop more translatable patterns to reach his second-line potential.”<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
35th<\/td>\nSportsnet<\/a><\/td>\nJason Bukala<\/td>\nJune 9<\/td>\n“Competitive two-way forward with secondary scoring upside. He has the motor and skill set to be deployed in a variety of roles and played some of his best hockey at the U18 worlds representing Canada.”<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
37th<\/td>\nFloHockey<\/a><\/td>\nChris Peters<\/td>\nJune 15<\/td>\n“Has so much natural skill and feel for the game that, at his best, he looks like a first-round talent.”<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
39th<\/td>\nTSN<\/a><\/td>\nCraig Button<\/td>\nJune 17<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lin is ranked in the top-15 on eight different NHL Draft rankings, while Preston is top-20 on five different rankings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":442,"featured_media":88564,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1488],"tags":[{"term_id":1862,"name":"2026 NHL Draft","slug":"2026-nhl-draft","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1862,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1"},{"term_id":1820,"name":"Mathis Preston","slug":"mathis-preston","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1820,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":21,"filter":"raw","term_order":"42"},{"term_id":1553,"name":"Ryan Lin","slug":"ryan-lin","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1553,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":59,"filter":"raw","term_order":"307"},{"term_id":122,"name":"nhl draft","slug":"nhl-draft","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":123,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":65,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1312"}],"class_list":["post-88437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-2026-nhl-draft","tag-mathis-preston","tag-ryan-lin","tag-nhl-draft","category-1488","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2026\/06\/02123826\/Preston-Lin-Web-Wide.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/442"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88437"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88437\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":88597,"date":"2026-06-22T10:07:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T17:07:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/?p=88597"},"modified":"2026-06-22T10:40:47","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T17:40:47","slug":"giants-announce-preseason-schedule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/article\/giants-announce-preseason-schedule","title":{"rendered":"Giants Announce Preseason Schedule"},"content":{"rendered":"

Langley, B.C. \u2013<\/b> The Vancouver Giants <\/span>announced today their preseason schedule for the 2026-27 Western Hockey League season.<\/span><\/p>\n

The G-Men will play two home preseason games, including one at the Arenas at Langley Events Centre, the brand new facility that will open in the fall.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Giants begin their preseason campaign on the road with a pair of games in Everett on Sept. 4 and 6 for the Silvertips preseason tournament with U.S. Division teams. Then Vancouver will host Victoria for back-to-back games on Sept. 12 and 13.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Giants’ preseason schedule can be found below or by clicking here<\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/colgroup>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
DATE<\/td>\nOPPONENT<\/td>\nTIME<\/td>\nVENUE<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Friday, Sept. 4<\/td>\nSeattle Thunderbirds<\/td>\n12:00 PM PT<\/td>\nAngel of the Winds Arena<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sunday, Sept. 6<\/td>\nWenatchee<\/td>\n12:00 PM PT<\/td>\nAngel of the Winds Arena<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Saturday, Sept. 12<\/strong><\/td>\nVictoria Royals<\/td>\n7:00 PM PT<\/td>\nPort Coquitlam Community Centre<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sunday, Sept. 13<\/strong><\/td>\nVictoria Royals<\/td>\n2:00 PM PT<\/td>\nthe Arenas at Langley Events Centre<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

*<\/strong>Home games in Bold<\/strong><\/p>\n

The complete WHL Regular Season schedule for 2026-27 will be announced next week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Langley, B.C. \u2013 The Vancouver Giants announced today their preseason schedule for the 2026-27 Western Hockey League season. The G-Men will play two home preseason games, including one at the Arenas at Langley Events Centre, the brand new facility that will open in the fall. The Giants begin their preseason campaign on the road with…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":442,"featured_media":88609,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1488],"tags":[{"term_id":1385,"name":"Preseason Schedule","slug":"preseason-schedule","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1389,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1529"},{"term_id":333,"name":"vancouver giants","slug":"vancouver-giants","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":334,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1457,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1794"},{"term_id":1155,"name":"WHL","slug":"whl","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1158,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":169,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1817"}],"class_list":["post-88597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-preseason-schedule","tag-vancouver-giants","tag-whl","category-1488","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2026\/06\/22100502\/PRESEASON-2026-WEBSITE.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/442"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88597"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88597\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88609"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":88611,"date":"2026-06-22T01:59:34","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T08:59:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/?p=88611"},"modified":"2026-06-22T13:59:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T20:59:38","slug":"giants-sign-2nd-round-pick-brady-leinenweber-to-whl-scholarship-development-agreement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/article\/giants-sign-2nd-round-pick-brady-leinenweber-to-whl-scholarship-development-agreement","title":{"rendered":"Giants Sign 2nd Round Pick Brady Leinenweber to WHL Scholarship & Development Agreement"},"content":{"rendered":"

Langley, B.C. \u2013 <\/b>The Vancouver Giants are excited to announce the signing of 2011-born defenceman <\/span>Brady Leinenweber<\/b><\/a> (Kerrobert, Sask.) to a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement.<\/span><\/p>\n

Leinenweber was<\/span> selected by the Giants<\/span><\/a> with the 26th overall pick in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft.<\/span><\/p>\n

The right-shot blueliner was named a CSSHL U15 Prep <\/span>first-team all-star<\/span><\/a> this past season, after recording 35 points for Northern Alberta Xtreme, thanks to two goals and 33 assists.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re pleased to announce the signing of Brady to a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement,” Giants Assistant General Manager Pete Toigo said. “He\u2019s a reliable, smart two-way defenceman who moves the puck well and competes hard in all areas of the ice. His character and commitment to the game make him the type of player who will have a positive impact on our team both on and off the ice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Leinenweber tied for second in scoring among all defencemen at the John Reid Memorial tournament with six points in six games (1G-5A).<\/span><\/p>\n

“I\u2019m so excited to be signing with such a great organization,” Leinenweber said. \u201cI want to thank the scouting staff and the whole Vancouver Giants team for believing in me and taking me in the draft. I would like to thank my family, friends, coaches and teammates \u2013 without them I wouldn\u2019t be here. Looking forward to the journey ahead!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Vancouver Giants extend a warm welcome to Brady and the Leinenweber family.<\/span><\/p>\n

Leinenweber is guaranteed a WHL Scholarship for every year he plays in the WHL by signing a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cBrady Leinenweber<\/a> is the most projectable defender in this class.\u201d<\/h3>\n

Leinenweber was ranked 7th overall on Elite Prospects Top-120 Ranking<\/a>\u00a0for the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft.<\/p>\n

“Never panicked, Leinenweber uses his mobility and reach to protect the puck under pressure and finds outlets with the timing and weight that allow recipients to receive in motion,” EP’s ranking said. “His blueline work is a legitimate offensive weapon: he opens his hips to distribute in both directions, pulls defenders out of lanes with shot fakes, and delivers backdoor passes with the kind of professional precision that is rare at this level. The shot from the right circle carries real threat, and his activation habits give his team a consistent offensive presence from the back end.<\/p>\n

He projects as a top-pair, two-way WHL defenceman with legitimate special teams upside on both sides of the ice.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The right-shot blueliner was named a CSSHL U15 Prep first-team all-star this past season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":442,"featured_media":88612,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1488],"tags":[{"term_id":1853,"name":"Brady Leinenweber","slug":"brady-leinenweber","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1853,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"9"},{"term_id":1630,"name":"WHL Draft","slug":"whl-draft","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1630,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":24,"filter":"raw","term_order":"233"},{"term_id":333,"name":"vancouver giants","slug":"vancouver-giants","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":334,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1457,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1794"},{"term_id":1155,"name":"WHL","slug":"whl","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1158,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":169,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1817"}],"class_list":["post-88611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-brady-leinenweber","tag-whl-draft","tag-vancouver-giants","tag-whl","category-1488","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2026\/06\/22112041\/Leinenweber-Signed-Web.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/442"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88611"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88611\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":88603,"date":"2026-06-19T11:35:53","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T18:35:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/?p=88603"},"modified":"2026-06-19T11:37:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T18:37:17","slug":"2025-26-nhl-draft-highlight-reels-mathis-preston","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/video\/2025-26-nhl-draft-highlight-reels-mathis-preston","title":{"rendered":"2025-26 NHL Draft Highlight Reels \u2013 Mathis Preston"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":442,"featured_media":88604,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[{"term_id":1820,"name":"Mathis Preston","slug":"mathis-preston","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1820,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":21,"filter":"raw","term_order":"42"},{"term_id":3,"name":"Highlights","slug":"highlights","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1049,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":138,"filter":"raw","term_order":"886"},{"term_id":122,"name":"nhl draft","slug":"nhl-draft","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":123,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":65,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1312"},{"term_id":333,"name":"vancouver giants","slug":"vancouver-giants","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":334,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1457,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1794"}],"class_list":["post-88603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video","tag-mathis-preston","tag-highlights","tag-nhl-draft","tag-vancouver-giants","video-channels-nhl-draft","category-5","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/19120137\/HR-1920-49.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":{"video_id":"2684189","partner_id":"31014","player_id":"47923","width":"16","height":"9","360p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/sd\/2684189.mp4","240p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/ld\/2684189.mp4","480p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/hsd\/2684189.mp4","1080p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/fhd\/2684189.mp4","hls":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/streaming\/2684189\/2684189.m3u8","webp":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/webp\/2684189.webp"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/442"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88603"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88603\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":88605,"date":"2026-06-19T11:34:47","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T18:34:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/?p=88605"},"modified":"2026-06-19T11:34:55","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T18:34:55","slug":"2025-26-nhl-draft-highlight-reels-joe-iginla","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/video\/2025-26-nhl-draft-highlight-reels-joe-iginla","title":{"rendered":"2025-26 NHL Draft Highlight Reels \u2013 Joe Iginla"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":442,"featured_media":88606,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[{"term_id":1819,"name":"Joe Iginla","slug":"joe-iginla","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1819,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":7,"filter":"raw","term_order":"43"},{"term_id":3,"name":"Highlights","slug":"highlights","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1049,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":138,"filter":"raw","term_order":"886"},{"term_id":122,"name":"nhl draft","slug":"nhl-draft","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":123,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":65,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1312"},{"term_id":333,"name":"vancouver giants","slug":"vancouver-giants","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":334,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1457,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1794"}],"class_list":["post-88605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video","tag-joe-iginla","tag-highlights","tag-nhl-draft","tag-vancouver-giants","video-channels-nhl-draft","category-5","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/18161854\/HR-1920-47.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":{"video_id":"2681703","partner_id":"31014","player_id":"47923","width":"16","height":"9","360p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/sd\/2681703.mp4","240p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/ld\/2681703.mp4","480p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/hsd\/2681703.mp4","1080p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/fhd\/2681703.mp4","hls":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/streaming\/2681703\/2681703.m3u8","webp":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/webp\/2681703.webp"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88605","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/442"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88605"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88605\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":88600,"date":"2026-06-18T11:44:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T18:44:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/?p=88600"},"modified":"2026-06-18T11:44:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T18:44:17","slug":"2026-nhl-draft-profile-mathis-preston-vancouver-giants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-giants\/article\/2026-nhl-draft-profile-mathis-preston-vancouver-giants","title":{"rendered":"2026 NHL Draft Profile | Mathis Preston, Vancouver Giants"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]BY CAMI KEPKE<\/em><\/p>\n

Mathis Preston<\/a> has been known to dazzle (or irritate) his opponents with his flash and speed.<\/p>\n

Not just on the ice, but also on the track.<\/p>\n

The Vancouver Giants forward was also a talented BMX racer as a kid, where he got to unleash his daredevil nature on dirt tracks dotted with jumps, rollers and steep turns.<\/p>\n

Racing is actually where he picked\u00a0up his signature number, 96.<\/p>\n

“I started BMX when I was really young, just racing against my brother for fun,” Preston recalled. “Then we started to get into competitions as we got a little bit older.<\/p>\n

I kind of wasn’t scared of getting hurt or getting injured or anything. Kind of like a good and bad thing.”<\/p>\n

While Preston eventually shifted most of his energy towards hockey, you can still see the elements of the player and person that would allow him to succeed at almost any sport.<\/p>\n

Despite an injury-shortened campaign and midseason trade, Preston logged 18 goals (including four game-winners) and 26 assists for 44 points in 46 games with the Giants and Spokane Chiefs in 2025-26.<\/p>\n

\n

Mathis Preston scores the OT winner in his first game as a Giant!@WHLGiants<\/a> | #NHLDraft<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/uOu43MYGIl<\/a><\/p>\n

— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) January 10, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n