Devils' 2026 Second-Round Draft Profile: Mathis Preston

Evaluating what Mathis Preston brings to the table as a potential target with the 35th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.

Jun 25, 2026

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The Devils acquired the 35th overall selection in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft with a trade that sent Simon Nemec to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday. Though I have covered a myriad of players (28 full profiles and three small blurbs) to this point, I thought that it would be prudent to add one more full profile to the list for a target that I adore at this slot.

That player is Mathis Preston, a still-17-year old winger who was once projected to be a top-ten pick in the draft. Let’s talk about why, specifically, he’s so appealing as a potential target and why he has fallen out of that top-ten consideration:

By the Numbers

Rankings: #33 by EliteProspects | #39 by Craig Button | #23 by McKeen’s Hockey | #11 by SMAHT Scouting | #37 by FloHockey | #16 by Yours Truly

Size: 5’11, 172 Pounds

Production: 18 Goals & 26 Assists (44 Total Points) in 46 WHL Games

Full stop, Preston’s production was lackluster this season, given his tools. 44 points in 46 games wasn’t the step forward many were anticipating him taking after his near-point-per-game 2024-25 rookie campaign, and it doesn’t grade out particularly well in NHLe models, especially given his size. However, it is important to note that he missed significant time with a knee injury suffered in January (before coming back and being above a point-per-game in both the WHL and the World Junior Championships) and wasn’t a great fit for the Spokane Chiefs’ system, hence why he was traded to the Vancouver Giants mid-season.

As you can see from his underlying profile, there’s a lot to like in transition and seemingly a lot of the mushy middle in the other two zones of the ice. I’m not taking a whole lot of stock in his numbers from the Giants, though, given that he ended up playing just ten games for them this season, and I think the underlying numbers are selling him a bit short. Let’s talk about why:

Evaluating Preston’s Tools

Skating

Preston is outright the fastest skater in the draft, and it isn’t particularly close, either. His top gear would be in the upper echelon of the NHL right now, and that’s without more developmental runway and strength added to his lower body. He gets to his top gear extremely quickly, too, giving him real separation from a defender in but a few strides. Preston is equally as proficient with his edgework, being able to turn on a dime and at full speed without his feet slipping out from underneath him. He uses this in a myriad of ways, one of which is certainly generating a surprising amount of wrap-around attempts:

Shooting

I would regard Preston’s shot as his second-best asset behind his speed. His wrist shot is incredibly powerful, with a quick release that he can fire off immediately after receiving a pass. Toe drags are a mainstay in almost all of his cycle-chance wrist shots, and he can perfectly get a puck on net with haste off the rush without breaking stride:

Preston’s one-timer is electric too — compact, quick-fire, powerful, and pinpoint accurate. He’s a flank player on the power play for good reason, and even beside the mechanics of his shot, he’s intelligent enough to know exactly where to be in relation to the defenders in order to get the best shot possible off his stick.

Hockey Sense & Playmaking

I think Preston is an excellent playmaker with a pretty high IQ as well, which bucks against the consensus a bit (with the bulk of scouts and outlets reporting that he’s good-not-great at this facet of the game).

Preston is able to find cross-ice passes nearly every other shift, a product of his other dynamic tools, which allow him to have more time and space. Dangle, separate, scan the ice, find a pass or shoot — that’s his game plan nearly every time he has the puck. The great news for him is that, well, he’s successful in his attempts more often than not.

Unsurprisingly, given his speed, Preston’s most dynamic playmaking comes from his rush game. Goalies and defenders must respect the combination of his skating and shot and, therefore, must put the bulk of their attention on him. Preston knows this and uses it to add an extra layer of danger to his rush game — cross-crease passes.

Though the bulk of Preston’s offensive game comes off the rush, he is developing some dynamism off the cycle as well, even beyond his shooting mechanics and habits. Accessing the interior of the ice is the name of his game off the cycle, with quick cuts and twitchy hands that allow him to get around several defenders and into the inner slot. From there, he has the choice to shoot (which he still does more often than not), or scan the ice for a high-danger pass.

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While it’s not quite as game-breaking as his speed or shot, Preston’s IQ and vision are legitimately very strong. As he continues to add strength and bulk, too, this will only further enhance how effective he is as he learns how to engage physically as well.

Puck Skills

Preston’s hands are excellent, as previously mentioned. Though he doesn’t pull them out when he doesn’t need to, he has the capability of executing high-creativity, high-difficulty dekes to get into open ice or manipulate a defender. Generally speaking, he relies more on lightning-fast side-to-side dekes than, say, a between-the-legs move, but he can certainly do both when called upon. His most common move in my viewings was a quick toe-drag-esque deke while slowing down or changing direction, which opens up a ton of space for himself and allows him to find an open pass.

Defensive Play

Preston is certainly still working through the defensive side of things, a commonality between high-ceiling offensive drivers at this spot in the draft. His defensive motor is a bit inconsistent, getting caught puck-watching in his own end more often than you’d like to see, but what he does bring to the table is a counter-attack element, pouncing on loose pucks as soon as they’re freed up and turning those opportunities into odd-man rushes or breakaways. Defensive instincts and habits are significantly easier to teach than offensive ones, so I’m not wholly concerned about his in-zone play at this point in time. Dynamism with the puck will always be more important.

Physicality

If there’s one area I think Preston needs to work on, it’s his physical engagement. He’s generally averse to taking contact, a likely product of his never really having to at this level by virtue of his speed and hands, and loses the majority of his board battles. He has room to add strength, though, and I think he’ll be much more open to this type of development as he plays against higher levels of competition. He’s a very smart player, and I’m sure he knows that he’ll have to adapt when the competition gives him less room to work with.

All in all, I’m a huge fan of Preston’s offensive upside, even with the defensive and physical deficiencies — especially at this spot. Based on speed and skill alone, he profiles a lot closer to a top-five pick than a second-rounder, but the combination of his size and lack of physicality has caused him to fall to a likely early second-rounder. Betting on the upside is the way to go, though — if everything pans out and Preston develops a bit more physicality-wise, he certainly has top-six potential as a rush-oriented, playdriving sniper. He’s exactly the type of high-ceiling player the Devils need more of in their pipeline.

NHL Timeline: 2028-29
NHL Stylistic Comparables: Nikolaj Ehlers, Jesper Bratt

The clip with “Assist” in the top left corner was taken from this YouTube video. The Hlinka Gretzky Cup clip was taken from TSN. The rest are from my own viewings.

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