Preston embracing adversity, heightened role ahead of 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge

Spokane, Wash.- Whether he’s showing off his handles on a breakaway or shoveling home a rebound, Spokane Chiefs forward Mathis Preston celebrates every goal like it’s a Game 7 winner.

“When you score, you’ve got to be excited,” Preston grinned. “I think you get the crowd into the game too, gets the boys going on the bench. You can score and kind of act, you know, cool or whatever. But I like to celebrate with my teammates. Scoring is fun. Hockey is fun. So you’ve got to make the most of it.”

🎥HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT🎥

Mathis Preston puts on a show in front of his family and friends in Penticton. @spokanechiefs | #WHLHoN | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/fm7lI93REO

— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) November 15, 2025

Chiefs bench boss Brad Lauer has had a prime view of the dynamic young forward’s progression from third-overall WHL Draft pick to ‘A’-rated 2026 NHL Draft prospect.

Preston carved out a strong impression with 23 goals (including four game-winners) and 22 assists for 45 points in 54 regular-season games in 2024-25.

He finished third in goals among all WHL rookies (trailing only Edmonton Oilers prospect Tommy Lafreniere of the Kamloops Blazers and his close friend and fellow 2026 NHL Draft-eligible skater Liam Ruck) while ranking sixth in points per game (.83).

“He enjoys scoring goals, and I enjoy watching him score goals,” Lauer said. “He’s got elite speed. He’s got the shot that is just as elite. He’s exciting to watch.

He’s kind of a hockey rat. He really is focused on wanting to give his best every time he comes on the ice, whether it’s practice or whether it’s a game. He brings a high level of energy to a game, he brings a very high-end skill level to the game. He’s very deserving of the ‘A’ rating.”

Preston, then 16 years old, also managed to find a new gear in the 2025 WHL Playoffs with 16 points (9G-7A) in 20 games as the Chiefs reached the 2025 WHL Championship Series.

While Spokane fell to the Medicine Hat Tigers, the postseason marked real growth for the 16-year-old as he put away a playoff hat trick, erupted for a goal and three assists in Game 3 to force Portland to the brink of elimination in the Western Conference Championship, and had an assist and game-winning goal in the Chiefs’ lone win over the Tigers in the title series.

He was also learning from Spokane’s tremendous top line of Captain and current Seattle Kraken forward Berkly Catton, Washington Capitals prospect Andrew Cristall, and 2024-25 WHL leading goal-scorer Shea Van Olm.

With the veteran trio graduated to the pro ranks and college, Preston is now shouldering the pressure of being ‘the guy’ rather than a depth scoring threat.

At the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Preston tied OHLer Ethan Belchetz as Canada’s top scorer with four goals (highlighted by a hat trick against Switzerland) and three assists in five games. Notably, he also scored the game-tying goal in the semifinal against the United States to force extra time, and netted Canada’s only shootout goal in a 4-2 loss.

He’d come away from the tournament with a bronze medal and an elevated role in Spokane.

Preston currently leads the Chiefs with 17 points (8G-9A) in 19 games while navigating a tough stretch in the regular-season schedule.

“Last year, you’re watching guys like, like Cristall, Catton, and you’re watching them thrive, and then now you’re coming in and all those guys have left, and you’re kind of in that position now,” Preston added. “It’s been awesome for me. I’m still learning how to play against top pairs every night and that sort of thing. So that’s something I’ve been working on myself. But I enjoy it. I like the pressure of that.

We’ve kind of gone through a little bit of a storm here, but I think we can learn a lot from that too, and we’re going to get out of it.”

🪄PRESTO MAGIC🪄@spokanechiefs forward Mathis Preston is ready to put a spell on the 2025 #CHLUSAProspectsChallenge! #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/N3YHmx6bL0

— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) November 5, 2025

“He’s starting to understand it and learn that side of the game,” Lauer noted. “He’s been a guy that’s been coming in and doing video and trying to learn the different parts of the game to make the slight changes that he needs to make as he matures and as he plays against top players.”

Preston will also get a chance to show scouts how he stacks up against top talent from across the Canadian Hockey League.

The 5-foot-11, 177-pound forward is one of 18 players developed in the CHL to receive an ‘A’ rating as a projected first-round pick from NHL Central Scouting in the agency’s October preliminary list and will take a spin at the upcoming CHL USA Prospects Challenge.

He’ll be in familiar company as he reunites with plenty of former Team Canada teammates on Team CHL- but he’s most excited to have his Chiefs teammate and close buddy Chase Harrington coming with him.

“We’ve grown so close over the past year and a half now, ever since I got here and I was an AP as a 15-year-old,” Preston said of Harrington, a B-rated prospect for the 2026 NHL Draft. “I think we just keep growing- and it helps on the ice a lot too. We’ve been best friends since I got here, so just happy to be there with him and have that experience. It’s gonna be awesome to kind of soak it all in together.”

Nine WHL players (four forwards, four defencemen, one goaltender) will participate in the showcase on November 25 and 26 in Calgary and Lethbridge, Alta.

TSN will carry the games for viewers in Canada, while fans in the United States and around the world can stream the action on Victory+.