Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - In the days leading up to the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo, WGR will provide profiles on some players that could be available for the Sabres with the 20th overall pick in the first round.
Speed and hands are the name of the game for Mathis Preston, perhaps one of the quickest players available in this year's draft class.
Given his skill set, Preston was viewed as one of the prospects in the 2026 NHL Draft class that if he could put up a massive season in the Western Hockey League, he could potentially rank among the top players available, and land as a potential top-10 pick. This especially after a 45-point season (23+22) in 54 games as a 16-year-old, and then 16 points (9+7) in 20 playoff games with the Spokane Chiefs.
After a pretty hot start to his season with six goals and 10 points through his first seven games, Preston's production then started to dip, and he was not able to find much consistency with his game when it came to scoring. Eventually after producing 32 points (14+18) in 36 games with Spokane, he was dealt to the Vancouver Giants, where just two games into his tenure, he suffered a knee injury following a collision that forced him to miss two months of action.
Preston did return for the final eight games of the 2025-26 season, where he finished his draft year with 12 points (4+8) in 10 games with the Giants. To make matters worse, though, Vancouver's season tanked after Preston's injury, resulting in 14 losses in the 18 games he missed, and the Giants missed the playoffs by 14 points.
Despite Preston not taking advantage of his draft year like some had expected or anticipated, it's still hard to deny the talent the 5-foot-11, 176-pound winger truly possesses in the offensive end.
Preston brings pure speed on the ice, with the ability to turn on the afterburners with a few quick steps and blow by an unsuspecting defender. He's light on his feet, glides around the ice with ease, and can turn on a dime thanks to great edge work.
The 17-year-old is very skilled with his hands, able to dangle in a phone booth and be creative with the puck in the offensive end. He uses his hands as a deceptive tool when controlling the pace of play, and has good control of how hard or soft he wants to distribute the puck when finding a passing lane.
Preston also has a great arsenal to work with, as he can wire a wrist shot with precision thanks to some quick wrists, or he can wind up and let a shot go with some considerable force for his size.
The vision and hockey IQ is right up there with the best in this draft class, as Preston is always monitoring the space around him to either see plays developing ahead of time, or finding openings to get to for a quick scoring chance.
Where the questions surrounding Preston's play comes into view is with his play away from the puck in the defensive end. Too often, Preston seems to shy away from engaging in a puck battle, and sometimes catches himself puck watching a bit too much.
Another concern for Preston is his tendency to go quiet for stretches of time with his offensive game. For as electrifying of a player as he can be, it doesn't show up on a consistent enough basis.
In addition, Preston will need to get a bit stronger and fill into his frame if he wants to be able to withstand the increased physicality of the game the higher he goes up the ladder.
It'd be pretty hard to see Preston fall out of the first round of the draft, given his offensive skill and hockey IQ. The question entering the draft is likely how far down the draft order will Preston fall? If he lands with the right team that can help him grow his 200-foot game more, they may have a gem on their hands.
