Scouts high on Penticton’s Mathis Preston ahead of NHL draft
Published 2:10 pm Tuesday, October 21, 2025
A light is being shone on Penticton-born Mathis Preston ahead of the 2026 NHL draft next June.
The Spokane Chiefs forward, 17, earned an ‘A’ rating (potential first-round pick) on NHL Central Scouting’s Preliminary Players to Watch List.
Preston, who has six goals and 11 points in 11 games this season with Spokane, was one of seven WHL skaters to earn an ‘A’ rating on the list.
A graduate of the Penticton Minor Hockey Association, Preston also suited up for the Okanagan Hockey Academy from 2020 to 2024.
He collected 16 points in 20 games during the Chiefs’ extended playoff run this past spring. This year marks his second full season in the WHL.
Preston isn’t the only local product to make the early-season list.
Liam and Markus Ruck, twins from Osoyoos, earned ‘B’ ratings, indicating potential second or third-round draft picks. The 17-year-old forwards, lifelong friends with Preston, currently play for the Medicine Hat Tigers.
The Penticton Vees’ WHL franchise is also represented on the scouts’ list, with defenceman Sean Burick and Jiri Kamas earning ‘C’ ratings (fourth or fifth-round draft candidates).
A total of 89 players developed in the WHL were named to the list.
The Ruck twins will be in Penticton on Oct. 27, when their Tigers visit the Vees at the South Okanagan Events Centre (SOEC).
Preston, meanwhile, is set for his homecoming on Nov. 14, as Spokane battles Penticton at the SOEC.
READ MORE: Penticton’s Mathis Preston, 16, thriving with Spokane Chiefs