Giants' Preston & Lin Named to Canada's U18 Pre-Tournament Roster
WHL Vancouver Giants

Giants' Preston & Lin Named to Canada's U18 Pre-Tournament Roster

Published on April 13, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Vancouver Giants News Release


Vancouver Giants defenceman Ryan Lin
Vancouver Giants defenceman Ryan Lin
(Vancouver Giants, Credit: Rob Wilton)

Calgary, Alta. - Vancouver Giants forward Mathis Preston and defenceman Ryan Lin have both been named to Hockey Canada's National Men's Under-18 Team pre-tournament camp roster ahead of the 2026 IIHF U18 Men's World Championship in Bratislava and Trencin, Slovakia.

Hockey Canada announced the first 23 players (three goaltenders, seven defencemen and 13 forwards) on Monday morning, which were selected by general manager Alan Millar and head scout Byron Bonora, with support from Benoit Roy, director of hockey operations, Scott Salmond, senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, and coordinator of hockey operations Jared Power.

Preston, who was acquired by the Giants ahead of the 2026 WHL trade deadline, has represented Canada previously at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup (Bronze Medal), the 2024 U17 World Challenge (Gold Medal) and the 2023 Youth Olympic Games.

The 5-foot-11, 177 lb. winger 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. Preston started the 2025-26 campaign with 32 points in 36 games for the Spokane Chiefs (14G-18A).

Many draft pundits have Preston as a first-round candidate for the 2026 NHL Draft, with some mid-season rankings having him in their top-10. The Penticton, B.C. product was ranked 24th among North American skaters on NHL Central Scouting's mid-term rankings, released in January.

Preston also represented Team CHL at the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge - recording three points (1G-2A) in three games - and was named to the roster for Team West for the 2026 WHL Prospects Game, but was unable to compete due to injury.

Lin will be representing Canada for the fifth time. Like Preston, Lin won bronze at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, won Gold at the 2024 U17 World Challenge (Canada White) and played for Canada at the 2023 Youth Olympic Games. He also helped Canada win Gold last spring at the U18s.

The 6-foot, 177-pound right-shot defender led the Giants in scoring this season with 57 points in just 53 games (14G-43A). His 14 goals this season were nearly triple the five he scored in 2024-25. Lin's 1.08 points-per-game this season 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). His 1.08 points-per-game this season ranked 7th amongst all defencemen in the WHL.

The Richmond, B.C. native was ranked 13th among North American skaters on NHL Central Scouting's mid-term rankings.

Lin also represented Team CHL at the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge and was named to the roster for Team West for the 2026 WHL Prospects Game, but was unable to compete due to injury.

"We are pleased to announce the roster that will participate in the pre-tournament camp in Slovakia," Millar said. "Our group will continue to monitor the Canadian Hockey League playoffs, and we expect to add players prior to the start of the world championship. At this time, we are pleased with the level of talent and international experience we have on our projected roster and are excited to gather in Slovakia in preparation to defend our gold medal."

Roster additions will be announced in the coming weeks following the conclusion of the second round of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) playoffs, while the final roster for the 2026 IIHF U18 Men's World Championship will be announced prior to the start of the tournament.

The 2026 IIHF U18 Men's World Championship kicks off on April 22, with Canada taking on Slovakia, Latvia, Norway and Finland in the preliminary round before the tournament concludes with the medal games on May 2. TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast 16 and 10 tournament games, respectively.

TSN will broadcast all Team Canada preliminary-round games, as well as the quarterfinals, semifinals and medal games, while RDS will broadcast all Team Canada preliminary-round games, two quarterfinals, the semifinals and medal games.

For more information on the 2026 IIHF U18 Men's World Championship, please visit the official tournament website at IIHF.com.

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Images from this story

Vancouver Giants forward Mathis Preston
Vancouver Giants forward Mathis Preston
(Rob Wilton)		 Vancouver Giants forward Mathis Preston
Vancouver Giants forward Mathis Preston
(Rob Wilton)		 Vancouver Giants defenceman Ryan Lin
Vancouver Giants defenceman Ryan Lin
(Rob Wilton)
Vancouver Giants defenceman Ryan Lin
Vancouver Giants defenceman Ryan Lin
(Rob Wilton)		   



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